UK Needs ‘’Urgent Change’’ In Politics To Reduce Carbon Footprint

In the wake of the Extinction Rebellion riots that led to more than a thousand arrests with people gluing themselves to buildings and vandalizing the Shell HQ, a panel has urged the UK government to urgently adopt new policies for anything from eating habits to energy consumption to avert the worst effects of climate change.

The Associated Press reports the Committee on Climate Change had recommended to the government such measures as reducing the consumption of meat and dairy products, changing the way farms do business, and making electric cars the only cars people can buy by 2035. By 2050, according to the panel, the country should be greenhouse gas emission-free.

“We can all see that the climate is changing and it needs a serious response. The government should accept the recommendations and set about making the changes needed to deliver them without delay,” the chairman of the panel said.

While some might see the 2050 zero-emission deadline as difficult to reach, environmentalists argue it is too far in the future. However, the panel said, 2050 was the “most credible,” as quoted by the AP.

“An earlier date has been proposed by some groups and might send a stronger signal internationally to those considering increasing their own ambition, but only if it’s viewed as credible.”

Even so, an alliance of environmentalist groups has insisted the government try to achieve its emission goals faster, by 2045.

“The problem is, we’ve been acting as if we have time,” said the head of climate change at WWF, Gareth Redmond-King. “But if we want a world with coral reefs, safe coastal cities and enough food for everyone, we must act now.”

In the meantime, Extinction Rebellion has warned the 11-day protests that paralyzed parts of London public transport are only the beginning of what a co-founder of the organization called a revolution. Now, the group is calling for mass refusal to pay mortgages and student loans in an attempt to motivate the government to consider alternatives to current economic model most of the world is using.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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