The Government don’t care about the poor, but ditching Net Zero is not the answer.

Here is my reply to Fiona James’s letter which was published in the Star on 13th March.

Reply to Fiona James-new version

We will all empathise with Fiona James (Star 13.3.25) who is struggling to pay her electricity bill. Instead of taxing the rich the Government have cut winter fuel allowance and is now threatening cuts to disabled people’s benefits. No wonder people are struggling to pay their bills. There has been a boom in renewable energy production, but prices continue to be set by the international gas price. 

Dropping the Net Zero target is not the solution. Net Zero does not make us poorer. Over-reliance on oil and gas does this. If we produce our own clean energy from wind, sun and water other countries wouldn’t be able to hold us to ransom with massive oil and gas price hikes.

Living in leaky, difficult-to-heat homes puts pensioners and vulnerable people at risk. Homes need draught proofing and insulating as soon as possible and retrofitting so they are powered by renewable sources. Billionaires who profit from the oil industry are happy for pensioners to keep paying most of their money on gas and electric bills so are discouraging all attempts to improve them. Shame on the Government for reversing their plans to push retrofitting forward. 

The worst thing would be to ignore climate change and hope it will go away. If we do that we will soon be facing absolute catastrophic change. Farmers all over the world are already struggling with droughts and flooded fields making food production much more difficult. In an even hotter world food will become scarce and much more expensive. 

In these days of misinformation, it is important that we consider the motivation of those opposed to Net Zero. Are they concerned with oil companies’ profits (like Trump, Farage and Badenoch) or the well-being of ordinary people like you and me? 

Update 18th March 2025

George Monbiot has just written about this.

Well knock me down with a feather. bylinetimes.com/2025/03/18/k…

— George Monbiot (@georgemonbiot.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T09:18:29.352Z

https://bsky.app/profile/georgemonbiot.bsky.social/post/3lkndlouszc2k

So have the RSPB

Turning away from net zero isn’t ‘dealing with the reality'…it’s ignoring the greatest long-term threat to a safe, stable future. We need leadership committed to cutting emissions, restoring degraded ecosystems, and protecting the future we leave for generations to come. 📣(2/2)

— RSPB (@rspb.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T11:57:46.771Z

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claims the UK goal of net zero emissions by 2050 is impossible. • No alternative date offered• No report/analysis showing impossible• No detail on how/why impossible• No figure on £ impact of net zero despite claiming will "bankrupt us"• No new plan to cut energy bills

— Adam Vaughan (@adamvaughan.bsky.social) 2025-03-18T09:36:25.929Z