Philip Hammond accused of trying to kill off landmark action on global warming by claiming bill will top £1 trillion – The Independent
Philip Hammond has been accused of trying to block a landmark bid to wipe out UK contributions to global warming by 2050, by claiming the bill will be more than £1 trillion.
Campaigners and opposition politicians protested that the chancellor’s warning – revealed in a leaked letter – ignored the massive cost of failing to act on runaway climate change.
The £1 trillion claim came as Theresa May is expected to attempt to make net greenhouse gas emissions a “legacy” achievement, by introducing legislation as early as next week.
Dr Doug Parr, chief scientist for Greenpeace UK, said: “The Treasury is putting their ideology before our wellbeing and trying to shape the public debate for political ends.”
And Ed Davey, a Liberal Democrat leadership candidate, warned: “Hammond might be trying to reclaim his crown as a fiscal hawk in the dying embers of May’s premiership, but this intervention is wrong headed and threatens our children’s future.”
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A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
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Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London
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Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
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Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
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Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19
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An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
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7/46 Heathrow airport
Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country’s main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital
Reuters
8/46 Oxford Circus
Protesters with the words ‘glued on’ written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus
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Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation
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Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation
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Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
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Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
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British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP
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An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge
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Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20
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Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new “citizens’ assemblies on climate and ecological justice”
Reuters
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Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation
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Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19
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Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport
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Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge
Reuters
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Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day
Getty
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British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat
AFP/Getty
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Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator
PA
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Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP/Getty
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Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
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Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London
Reuters
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Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge
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Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge
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Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus
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Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s house
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Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation
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Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station
EPA
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Police forces carry a protester
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A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train
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Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge
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Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge
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A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers
Reuters
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Protestors sit on the road
AP
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PA
46/46 Oxford Circus
AP
1/46 Canary Wharf
A protester gives a thumbs up as he stalls a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
Reuters
2/46 City of London
Protesters hold up traffic on Upper Thames Street in the City of London
Getty
3/46 Canary Wharf
Protesters hold a banner as they hold up a DLR train at Canary Wharf station in London
Reuters
4/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers remove plants that were placed in the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
PA
5/46 Oxford Circus
Police officers arrive at Oxford Circus as they prepare to remove protesters during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, April 19
Getty
6/46 Waterloo Bridge
An activist waters the plants at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
PA
7/46 Heathrow airport
Undeterred by over 400 arrests, climate change activists continued their demonstration into a fifth day in London with a small protest at the country’s main Heathrow Airport, along with the ongoing protest camps at other iconic locations around the British capital
Reuters
8/46 Oxford Circus
Protesters with the words ‘glued on’ written on their hands hold hands as police officers arrive at Oxford Circus
Getty
9/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers circle the lorry that serves as the central stage to the Waterloo Bridge occupation, repeating their tactic from a earlier at the Oxford Circus occupation
Reuters
10/46 Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus reopens after being closed for days due to occupation
AFP/Getty
11/46 Waterloo Bridge
Officers prepare to move in on the occupation of Waterloo Bridge
PA
12/46 Waterloo Bridge
Activists relax on a sofa at the occupation on Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
13/46 Oxford Circus
British actress Emma Thompson talks to members of the media from atop the pink boat after police officers surrounded the boat being used as a stage as climate change activists occupy the road junction at Oxford Circus in central London during the fifth day of environmental protesst by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP
14/46 Waterloo Bridge
An Extinction Rebellion demonstrator is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge
PA
15/46 Waterloo Bridge
Activists on Waterloo Bridge have made a garden for their occupation site, April 20
Reuters
16/46 Oxford Circus
Demonstrators began blocking off a bridge and major central road junctions on April 15 at the start of a civil disobedience campaign calling for governments to declare an ecological emergency over climate change, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2025, halt biodiversity loss and be led by new “citizens’ assemblies on climate and ecological justice”
Reuters
17/46 Oxford Circus
Emma Thompson joins the Extinction Rebellion protest at Oxford Circus. Thompson spoke from the pink boat at the centre of the occupation
AFP/Getty
18/46 Heathrow airport
Extinction Rebellion protesters sit outside Heathrow Airport on April 19
Reuters
19/46 Heathrow airport
Climate protestors hold a demo outside Heathrow Airport
Getty
20/46 Waterloo Bridge
Police officers detain a climate change activist at Waterloo Bridge
Reuters
21/46 Marble Arch
Protesters prepare for another day at Marble Arch as the Extinction Rebellion protests enter their fifth day
Getty
22/46 Oxford Circus
British actress Emma Thompson gives an address from the stage atop the pink boat
AFP/Getty
23/46 Oxford Circus
Actress Emma Thompson takes a photo with a Extinction Rebellion demonstrator
PA
24/46 Oxford Circus
Climate change activists blockade Oxford Circus on the third day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group
AFP/Getty
25/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change activists stand atop a bus shelter as they take part in a blockade of Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
26/46 Canary Wharf
Police is seen as climate change activists demonstrate during the Extinction Rebellion protest, at Canary Wharf DLR station in London
Reuters
27/46 Waterloo Bridge
Police speak to climate change activists blockading Waterloo bridge
AFP/Getty
28/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
29/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change activists, one (right) with her hand glued to the underside of a truck parked across Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
30/46 Oxford Circus
Environmental campaigners protest in the centre of Oxford Circus
Getty
31/46 Jeremy Corbyn’s Home
Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion protest sit after glueing themselves to the front fence of Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn’s house
Reuters
32/46 Marble Arch
Dozens of tents have been pitched at Marble Arch in a large scale occupation
Reuters
33/46 Canary Wharf station
Police remove climate activists who glued themselves on top of a train at Canary Wharf station
EPA
34/46 Oxford Circus
Police forces carry a protester
AP
35/46 Canary Wharf station
A climate change protestor who glued his hand to a window halts a DLR train
AFP/Getty
36/46 Waterloo Bridge
PA
37/46 Waterloo Bridge
EPA
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EPA
39/46 Oxford Circus
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Getty
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Pedestrians and a cyclist pass graffiti drawn by protestors who blocked Waterloo Bridge
AP
42/46 Waterloo Bridge
Climate change protestors practice yoga on Waterloo Bridge
AFP/Getty
43/46 Waterloo Bridge
A climate change activist gestures while being detained by police officers
Reuters
44/46 Waterloo Bridge
Protestors sit on the road
AP
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The CCC called for the zero-emissions target for 2050 to be made law immediately – ahead of a UN summit in September – insisting “the quicker you do it the cheaper it is”.
Its blueprint would mean the end of petrol and diesel cars and gas boilers, a drastic cut in people’s meat consumption and the planting of at least 1.5 billion trees.
Emissions from some activities, including air travel and farming, are viewed as unavoidable by 2050, but would be balanced by taking carbon out of the air by growing trees or burying carbon dioxide.
Now Mr Hammond has told the outgoing prime minister the commitment will shrink the money available for schools, the NHS, the police and public spending priorities.
His letter also warned that the target would render some industries “economically uncompetitive” without huge government subsidies.
The CCC estimated that reaching net zero will cost £50bn a year, but the department for business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) puts the figure at £70bn, according to the chancellor’s letter.
“On the basis of these estimates, the total cost of transitioning to a zero-carbon economy is likely to be well in excess of a trillion pounds,” he wrote.”
Mr Hammond said it was right for the UK to show leadership on climate change, but warned the prime minister that the implications of the policy needed to be “better understood”.
He urged Downing Street to support a Treasury review to minimise the cost of the policy for taxpayers and consumers to prevent “potentially damaging impacts”.
The letter also suggested that the government give itself an “explicit review point”, or a get-out clause to reconsider the target if other countries did not follow suit.
Dr Parr added: “If you want to know whether a policy is a good idea, you include the benefits as well as the costs – and, in this case, the benefits include an economy fit for the twenty-first century, cleaner air, warmer homes and maximising the chances of civilisation surviving.”
And Mr Davey said: “The cost of tackling the climate emergency is massively outweighed by the long-term cost of not acting. The chancellor has got his sums wrong.”
The prime minister’s spokeswoman would not say whether she intended to formally commit the government to the 2050 target before leaving office, at the end of July.
“In the week of the CCC report, we strongly welcomed the recommendations but set out that we would be formally responding as soon as possible. That remains our intention.”
