NET ZERO: WHAT, WHEN, HOW AND WHO PAYS?

 These are the questions we should all be asking and demanding our political leaders answer. So far we have been given only vague hand-waving style avoidance. To start with what does net zero actually mean? Does it mean we can simply carry on emitting CO2 but pay to have some trees planted somewhere, which seems to be what a lot of companies are doing. Then what about aviation, shipping, and imported goods? Should their CO2 be counted towards our total?

"When" seems to be in 2050, though there are a few targets along the way and as we get nearer to those, people are beginning to realise the full implications. It all seems so easy to say we will accomplish some goal in 5 or 10 years time. Take oil-fired central heating, which is no longer to be fitted beyond 2026; now there is a dawning of the reality and resistance building. This only affects 1.5 million homes. Imagine the enormity of phasing out gas boilers and gas cookers in 20 times as many places. I fully expect this deadline will fail to be met. It is simply inconceivable that it could be, even if the public were all compliant, which they won't be.

This brings us on to "how". How will we muster a large enough workforce of skilled engineers to keep to the schedule? We have failed to even persuade everyone to have a smart meter fitted, and that is a doddle compared with a complete change of central heating system. Then there are gas cookers and gas fires.

Finally there is the biggest question of all - Who pays? In simple terms the answer has to be US, the taxpayers. But a bill running into hundreds of billions of pounds, or maybe trillions, is simply beyond the government to find - on top of the covid rescue, and before that the banking rescue. We are already up to our collective necks in debt. But until they have an answer to that question, we must assume that net zero is just a pipe-dream, albeit a very costly one. For even if it ends in failure we will have invested a huge amount even to get only part of the way.

My final question is - when will the bubble finally burst? Who will be in charge when it becomes beyond doubt that net zero is unachievable and when? There are already some extremists who want us to go even faster, like the "Just Stop Oil" mob. We need strong leadership to resist their lunacy, It is time for a sensible, rational debate.