The public doesn't hate Net Zero as much as RW politicians insist they do

[Echobelly]

Politicians like Kemi Badenoch and right wing newspaper front pages love to talk as though everyone hates Net Zero and sustainability as concepts and wants us to get on with burning coal and drilling for oil. They seem to stake an awful lot on people not like sustainability mostly because they see it as 'woke' as far as I can tell.

I think most people don't think about it enough to hate it really and most people broadly want the outcomes of improved sustainability but would like it to happen without it needing any investment. I reckon some people don't like feeling 'nagged' about saving the environment and in many ways I don't blame them as, while we should all do our bit, really it's up to governments and big businesses to actually do the damn work to truly make a difference.

Maybe Net Zero has a bit of a PR problem as it sounds unachievable, and also maybe it sounds like you get nothing, or something will be taken away from you/society. It might do better to have a name that sounds more 'positive'. But it's a shame because ultimately, even if for some reason you don't believe in climate change it seems to me that the benefits of renewable energy (such as ending energy dependence on some not always friendly countries and less pollution) are pretty clear and I'm not sure people realise it's not just powering a few kettles, it's often around 50% of UK energy production

If you live rurally in the middle of nowhere a car gives you so much freedom

As far as I can tell, what is stopping channel tunnel trains running as frequently as they could is sheer lack of space for passengers at St Pancras (especially post Brexit with longer processing times). Apparently they are planning to enlarge the Eurostar departure area there, which I'm sure will be quite the job.

Shame they can't get Ashford International opened up again eh 🙄 (something something French reluctance to man a border post there I think. Thanks again Brexit!)

I gather that the work to expand the terminal at St Pancras is ongoing. This may involve removing the arrivals border controls which haven't been used since the Disney trains stopped (Marne-la-Vallée doesn't have juxaposed controls, just French exit checks).

As for Ashford, Ebbsfleet and Stratford, they can only process 100-odd passengers apiece in one go. Presumably Calais Frethun is similar. Eurostar doesn't consider it worth paying the cost of staffing the terminals, including security and both sets of border controls.

Worth noting that in the Netherlands, the border officers at Schipol are paid for by the Dutch government, whereas the ones at both Eurostar terminals have to be funded by Eurostar itself. Nothing like a level playing field, eh?

I hate net zero

What is it about stopping a catastrophe that you hate ?

What would you do differently to avert the catastrophe ?

Meanwhile, most of the planet is on fire.

Yes, if your drive into town involves dozens of them, you’ll just drive the other way to the retail park or supermarket.

Also, I used to live close to a little village on the edge of town that used to be popular, had shops etc., but they traffic calmed the village with speed bumps that involved putting double yellow lines alongside traffic islands and it completely killed it due to nowhere to park, resulting in butchers, newsagents, post office, pub, fish and chip shop, chemist all closed.

I would drill in the North Sea. I can't afford an electric car nor can I afford to go to net zero. The rest of the world is ignoring it so why should I have to suffer high prices

Even if it doesn't lower prices. We get lower transport costs from using local gas and lots of tax revenue. Tax revenue that can fund the "public services"

The rest of the world isn’t ignoring it. Who told you that?

Countries with net-zero targets cover roughly 74% to 77% of global greenhouse gas emissions and around 79% of the global population.

What are china, Russia, India and the USA doing?

You can look for yourself

China has committed to peaking its carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality (net zero) by 2060. Key milestones include a 2035 target to cut economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 7–10%, rapidly expanding renewable energy capacity, and passing the comprehensive Environmental Code in March 2026 to legally anchor decarbonisation.

Russia aims to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, as outlined in its official long-term climate strategy submitted to the UNFCCC.

USA is run by an ignorant lunatic who will be replaced by somebody with sanity eventually.

…and India has already beaten its 2030 goal of 50% non-fossil energy by 2030.

Time to stop this facile denial. The world is working together and making progress and for some baffling propaganda / ideological or political reason you insist it isn’t.

Do people not think the UK has decarbonised the economy rapidly?

No

If you mean has an indirect effect of the UK outsourcing a lot of manufacturing to other countries been that on paper the UK produces less carbon dioxide then yes. But the sneaky workaround of "let's make vaccun cleaners in Malaysia because then it looks like Malasia is producing all the CO2 has never been a policy. In fact, Dyson switched manufacturing to the far East because it's cheaper (both labour and energy). Henry Hoover by contrast still have factories in the UK. Higher energy costs are a threat to manufacturing. But Henry Hoover like other companies have got round this by investing on lots of solar panels for cheaper energy. It's actually a case of renewables saving UK manufacturing and government policy could go further and use them to reverse the decline.

https://www.bbc.com/news/videos/cj4pp0e2jvwo

Between 2010 and 2023, the UK’s consumption-based emissions (total carbon footprint) fell by approximately 17%.

Given that it’s less than 1% of global output, it’s not much, is it?

How much of a carbon footprint and environmental impact are the massive AI/data centres going to make, given that they use millions of gallons of water for cooling and Gigawatts of electricity?
Are they all going to be solar and wind powered I wonder?
How will net zero be achieved then?

The giant AI data centres will make very good laswr tag venues in a few years time after the bubble pops. If they get built at all.

So what's the point of thrashing industries even more

Thank you, totally agree

Yes I think they are a worry

i would rather farming was prioritised

Golf courses use far more water and land than data centres and solar farms.

Silence from the boomers. Why ?

I’d rather have the golf courses, at least they are green and have some community functions and job opportunities