Looks Like Petrol/Diesel Cars Are To Get A Reprieve.

[ToraToraTora]

https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1948677/ed-miliband-u-turn-petrol-car-ban-2030

Much to the annoyance of the Eco terrorists no doubt. TBH I'm not bothered if they do stop making new ICE cars I tend to buy old ones anyway. Very few new cars float my boat. For example I have an old Jag XJ because the newer one doesn't look like an XJ.

[Old_Geezer]

Not really. As I understand it proper ICE cars are still going to be banned, and hybrid, with all the heavy, risky, dodgyly mined components will still be bought and have to be transported around. Just wonder if you are allowed to import a sanely designed vehicle from abroad. Or maybe one can remove the batteries, sell them on eBay, and just use the proper engine.

 

High time they gave up on the electrical nonsense and found a way to store energy in a more convenient form.

[ToraToraTora]

yep one of those flux capacitor things would do the trick!

[New Judge]

Mr Miliband should not keep his hopes up.

Only two days ago, the High Court overruled a government decision to allow a new coal mine in Cumbria. It ruled that the decision was flawed because it did not take account of the emissions from the coal when it was burned.

So it may be with this decision. I don't know if Mr Miliband has considered he emissions these new cars, built after 2030, will cause.

Meanwhile, Drax power station in Yorkshire burns round 9 million tons of wood a year. Despite this, it adds virtully nothing to the UK's emissions total. This is because it receives "credit" for the carbon the felled trees absorbed in their lifetime. It is also selling "Carbon Dioxide Removal Certificates" for the CO2 it hopes to remove using  a yet unproven Carbon Capture Scheme (which it has been promising to deliver for about seven years, but which it has still failed to demonstrate beyond a small pilot scheme). 

There's lots of paperwork and creative accounting to come before the UK achieves the unachievable "Net Zero".

 

[ToraToraTora]

judge been meaning to ask about that. By what mechanism can the Judiciary override the government? Is there a previous law that all government decisions have to consider potential emmissions? It seems odd that the elected government can be overridden by the judiciary.

[Fatalbertfixer]

How does an unelected judge have the right to over rule an elected government?

[david small]

Net zero equates to zero foresight.

[douglas9401]

Airy-fairy target not met by useless politicians of all parties.

Newly installed virtue signals go to amber for the foreseeable.

I said years ago when DAB was hailed as the saviour of listening classes and FM was to be turned off that it definitely wouldn't happen as advertised and probably not even in my lifetime.

Still breathing and listening to FM radio now and again.

One should always remember that by and large, this wee island has become an object of ridicule, services and standards-wise.

[THECORBYLOON]

The recent High Court decision can be read here,

https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/friends-of-the-earth-and-another-v-secretary-of-state-for-levelling-up-housing-and-communities-and-others/

[Gromit]

They never said they were banning hybrids in 6 years so it is not really a u-turn.   
A change of strategy was inevitable. The lack of any meaningful progress on infrastructure in the past 5 years means there are still a lot of disincentives for normal people to transition now. A lot of the components are from China and we want to trade less with China. We are already left far behind to other countries on battery production and plant that even if everybody wanted 2030 to happen, we are not ready.

Look out soon for a real u-turn on airport expansions and extra runways. Labour approved a third runway at Heathrow in 2009 and the Tories never got it sorted. Also Luton, Gatwick, City and Manchester before the end of this term.

[Gromit]

The last Government supported the Cumbria mine. Now the Government has changed and the present one is against it, so the judicary just speeded up killing it off. Saved the Labour Government the hassle.

[New Judge]

"judge been meaning to ask about that. By what mechanism can the Judiciary override the government?"

"How does an unelected judge have the right to over rule an elected government?"

You can read all about it here:

https://cornerstonebarristers.com/cumbria-coal-mine-permission-quashed-on-four-grounds/

The short answer is that the governments (not this one, but earlier versions) have tied themselves into all sorts of knots by introducing legislation which requires vrious assessments and tests to be undertaken before providing authority to do things, such as burn coal. They must act within that earlier legislation. 

Of course it is always open to the current government to repeal that earlier legisltion, but they don't have the balls to realise and admit to the folly of their predecessors.

This latest decision will make not the slightest difference to global emissions. The coal was destined to be used in steel production. With the end of steel production in the UK largely in sight (but with demand for steel still very much the same) all that will happen is that we will import steel from countries which are not so foolish,  along with the emissions used to produce it. But of course the UK will not be responsible for them, so all will be fine. 

Menwhile, it is now almost two hours since my first post on this thread and in that time Drax will have burnt over 2,000 tons of wood. But with "net zero" emissions, natch. 

[ynnafymmi]

At least up here in Scotland we are doing our bit for the environment,we are closing down a major oil refinery.Win,win all round methinks.As for the workers at this refinery,them getting redundant will help to save the planet from all these rich Tory oil barons.

[Gromit]

NJ

The DRAX con needs to be called out and action taken, over to you Mr Milliband.

[douglas9401]

Called out eh? Righty ho.

[Hopkirk]

When the lease expires on my electric car, I'm going to buy one outright. Love 'em.

[ynnafymmi]

Strange days in Scotland,while 400 workers are being paid off at Grangemouth,the SNP are still pouring millions into the Ferguson Shipyards who were supposed to build two ferries on time,on budget.Six years overdue,millions of pounds overbudget.Are us Scots being taken for fools?

[tomus42]

The infrastructure for electrics isn't there.

Until it is, phasing out ICEs will continue to be postponed.