British Poll: Yes To Net-Zero, But Not If It Costs More

Authored by Eric Worrall via WattsUpWithThat.com,

Mistruths about renewables reducing energy bills are threatening to wreck the credibility of mainstream politicians.

British voters: yes to Net Zero, but not if it costs us

A new poll shows how shallow support is for green policies

The UK population is overwhelmingly in favour of the aim to reduce carbon emissions to Net Zero by 2050, but flips to strong opposition if the policy imposes any “additional costs on ordinary people”, according to new polling.

As Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces his intention to expand carbon capture and increase the amount of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, the results show a preference for the general goal of Net Zero, rather than any commitment to the policies which would be necessary to deliver it. While over 70% support the broader aim, less than half (42%) agree with the decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars after 2030. 

The survey, carried out by YouGov, asked 2000 adults from across the UK how they felt about the Government’s green agenda. As well as the marginal opposition to banning petrol cars, only 42% of respondents support the phasing out of new gas boilers, which is due to begin in 2035. 

… Read more: https://unherd.com/thepost/british-voters-yes-to-net-zero-but-not-if-it-costs-me/

JoNova has done an excellent piece about Britain’s fickle politicians cooling on Net Zero after the shock Uxbridge by-election win, by an anti ULEZ campaigner.

Have net zero supporters been telling mistruths about the cost of renewables? Like a lot of accountancy, the answer depends on how you squint at the figures.

In real terms, the energy bills people pay in renewable heavy locales like Britain and California are soaring. So in a practical sense, the answer is a resounding yes.

But if you play fancy accounting games with the figures, like adding the social cost of carbon, the alleged damage CO2 emissions will cause in the future, make some very optimistic assumptions about future energy storage costs, and back date those alleged future climate damage costs into today’s economy using a discount factor, you can arrive at other answers.

I doubt most voters will be impressed by the fancy accounting tricks. Adding fake future costs to justify slamming people with higher energy bills today does not mitigate the energy bill pain people are experiencing right now.

People have to live today, here and now. People facing a choice between heating, eating and paying the mortgage don’t care what the weather will be like in 50 years, they have more immediate problems.

Even if anthropogenic climate change starts to bite, and creates more heatwaves, the last thing anyone in today’s world wants is for energy to be so expensive they can’t afford to run their air conditioner.

My prediction: Unless greens find a solution to soaring energy bills, and fast, by 2025 elected politicians who admit they unequivocally support Net Zero will be an endangered species.