Other countries show little sign of following Britain’s lead and instead want the West to stump up billions in “reparations”
Boris Johnson was back in the political spotlight today, attending the Cop27 climate change conference in Egypt as one of the more zealous proponents of net-zero carbon emissions. The former prime minister was once sceptical about such ambitions and was even an enthusiastic champion of shale gas just 10 years ago. In a column for this newspaper in 2012, he said: “Ignore the doom merchants – Britain should get fracking. It’s green, cheap and plentiful.”
Now, Mr Johnson has emerged as one of the world’s foremost campaigners for faster action to reduce carbon emissions. At a meeting on the fringes of the summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, he criticised “net-zero naysayers” who want to “frack the hell out of the British countryside”.
Of course, people can change their minds, but he was right the first time: shale is plentiful in the country and would help meet carbon reduction targets, reduce bills and underpin energy security. Yet he came to office in 2019 pledged to a moratorium on fracking and even though, during Liz Truss’s brief time in No 10, it looked as if the ban would be lifted, it has been reaffirmed by Rishi Sunak.
The renewable energy timetable first set out by Theresa May and confirmed by Mr Johnson is now accepted by the current Government and by the Opposition. No alternative is brooked. By 2050, the UK is to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero, with some bans – such as those on sales of new petrol and diesel cars – taking effect just seven years hence.