We have to change the way we live our lives if we are to meet our net zero targets says a senior Labour figure.
Bill Esterson, Labour chairman of Parliament’s energy committee told The Telegraph, that the ambitous challenge of Labour’s 2035 target will mean a big shift in behaviour: “We will all have to change our lives because the world is changing, just as we always have. This time, the changes are in response to climate change and the transition to net zero.”
His views are in contrast to Kier Starmer who stated at COP29 in Baku that Labour’s targets, including cutting emissions by 81% by 2035, could be met without requiring lifestyle changes.
However, experts, including Emma Pinchbeck from the Climate Change Committee, warn otherwise.
To hit these targets, households will need to adopt heat pumps and switch to electric vehicles. Labour’s net zero strategy involves decarbonising the electricity grid by 2030 and cutting emissions by 68% of 1990 levels.
While Sir Keir frames these efforts as enhancing the UK’s global leadership on climate, some sceptics, including shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho, are demanding transparency.
On Friday, Ms Coutinho called for clarity on the costs of Labour’s 2030 clean power target, arguing that the public “deserve a fair assessment of what the costs… may mean for their lives and livelihoods”.
