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Increase car taxes to help climate, UK advisers say


Bangladeshpost
Published : 25 Jun 2020 08:32 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 06:56 AM

Car taxes should be increased to help fund the battle against climate change, government advisers say, reports BBC.

They say ministers should bring forward the date for ending sales of new conventional cars from 2035 to 2032.

The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) says the chancellor should also consider increasing the tax on gas for home heating.

It says the changes should be made as the UK looks to recover from the Covid-19 crisis by creating jobs.

The CCC also recommends the country aim to cut carbon emissions as part of a “green recovery“.

It says the government has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change society for the better.

A government spokesperson said that tackling climate change should be at the heart of the UK's economic recovery.But the committee insists that ministers must send the right economic messages to consumers.

The CCC chair, Lord Deben, says it makes sense to raises fuel prices when the cost of oil is low - and use the proceeds to subsidise low-emissions vehicles.

He said: “It seems perfectly clear that we should increase the tax on the very low oil prices we have at the moment. We need to make people who choose the right way to do so cheaper than those who choose the wrong way.”

The committee was more cautious about increasing the price of heating gas, and Lord Deben said the poor must be protected from high prices.

But it said the Treasury’s forthcoming review of climate policies must tackle the issue, as home heating must shift from gas towards low-carbon alternatives.

Another sector in urgent need of investment is the cooling of people’s homes, the report says.

As much of the UK swelters, the CCC warns that elderly and sick people are vulnerable to overheating, with hospitals, care homes, prisons, and flats in the south of England particularly at risk.

It projects that annual heat-related deaths could more than double by 2050 to 5,000 – that’s even if emissions targets are achieved.

It says refurbishing homes would improve lives and reduce emissions whilst also creating thousands of “green” jobs.

Ventilation could be improved, sun-shading could be fixed to windows, and trees could be planted to cool the air and provide shade.

The report warns that the government will need to exceed its manifesto commitments on homes.

It also says the post-Covid-19 changes will require what’s known as a just transition’ for workers who’ll need to be re-trained from high-carbon to low-carbon jobs.

The report warns ministers against protecting jobs in polluting industries because that will lock in higher emissions in the long term.

Researchers concluded that planned UK emissions cuts are less than half as rigorous as needed for the country to contribute fairly towards restricting global climate heating to less than 2C.

Co-author Prof Kevin Anderson told me: “The trouble is that the committee isn’t looking at what needs to be done – it’s looking at what it can say without being politically ignored. That’s very different.”

Lord Deben replied: “That is absolutely untrue”.