There’s never been a better time to ditch the net zero agenda
Spectator (UK)Sep 14, 2022
On Wednesday, the European Union reached an agreement over a law that will see the price paid by airlines for emitting polluting CO2 emissions increase. The legislation is intended to pressure the sector towards more sustainable reforms.
Currently, airlines that run flights inside Europe are compelled to submit permits for carbon dioxide emissions, but most of those are being granted for free by the EU. The European Parliament would reportedly phase out those free licenses by 2026.
This kind of "big state intervention" is not the way to tackle climate change. Many Europeans are facing a cost of living crisis, and "net zero" agendas across Europe have resulted in politicians unwilling to make the trade-offs required between supply, affordability, and decarbonization to meet abstract — but public-relations-friendly — sustainability goals. The private sector can help solve this issue if given the chance with better deregulation.
Private finance won't make the planet greener — only better regulation can. With the use of massive public investment — and a shift away from the chronically-entrenched strategies of government "greenwashing" — we can hold politicians more directly accountable and address the climate crisis.