Scarborough climate change activist: 'Watering down climate commitments is a backwards step'
The Prime Minister set out new plans yesterday
The Prime Minister has insisted he is not abandoning any climate targets as he sets out new plans.
But the move has been criticised by climate campaigners, members of his own parties, and carmakers who say they need consistency and clarity.
The Commons speaker has expressed his fury at the timing saying he would recall the house if he had the power, so members could debate the plans.
A Scarborough climate change activist said he is hopeful net zero can be achieved by 2050.
David Mason said: "Rishi Sunak has really back-pedalled on his party's commitment to net zero and what they're messing with isn't just words, but a legally binding commitment that's passed in Parliament.
"I think it would be foolish to drop wind power as a source of energy for the country. For example, the last round of bids to build the new generation of wind farms off-shore got no response at all from industry because the return tariffs were set too low.
"I was hopeful that it would happen net zero by 2050 and I do think it could be made to happen but I think it's feasible with commitment. These were set by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson a couple of years back but now it appears they're worthless and they can be dropped. We're going backwards.
"Some people are having trouble heating their houses but the houses they live in aren't insulated. Houses from Victorian and Edwardian eras and after are very leaky and badly insulated. If your heat is literally going out of the window then the window needs fixing and that's something that should be done."
Prime Minister's plans
Rishi Sunak said he believes the UK needs to change direction, including on its approach to tackling climate change.
During a speech at Downing Street on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said: "I'm here today to tell you that we do not have to be powerless, our future doesn't have to be a foregone conclusion.
"Our destiny can be our own choosing but only if we change the way our politics works.
"Can we be brave in the decisions we make, even if there is a political cost? Can we be honest when the facts change, even if it is awkward?"
He added: "The real choice confronting us is do we really want to change our country and build a better future for our children, or do we want to carry on as we are?
"I've made my decision. We are going to change and over the coming months, I will set out a series of long-term decisions to deliver that change.
Rishi Sunak accused previous governments of trying to reach net zero "simply by wishing it".
In a Downing Street speech outlining his plans on net-zero commitments, the Prime Minister said: "The Climate Change Committee have rightly said you don't reach net zero simply by wishing it.
"Yet that's precisely what previous governments have done, both Labour and Conservative.
"No one in Westminster politics has yet had the courage to look people in the eye and explain what's really involved. That's wrong, and it changes now.
"The plans made on your behalf assume this country will take an extraordinary series of steps that will fundamentally change our lives."
He pointed to the phasing out of gas boilers, mandatory home upgrades for property owners in two years' time, proposals for taxes on eating meat and flying, as well as "a government diktat to sort your rubbish into seven different bins".
"It cannot be right for Westminster to impose such significant costs on working people, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet and to interfere so much in people's way of life without a properly informed national debate."
Ian Plummer, commercial director at online vehicle marketplace Auto Trader, described the delay in the ban on new petrol and diesel cars and vans as "hugely retrograde".
He said: "Pushing back the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel sales by five years is a hugely retrograde step which puts politics ahead of net zero goals.
"This U-turn will cause a huge headache for manufacturers, who are crying out for clarity and consistency, and it is hardly going to encourage the vast majority of drivers who are yet to buy an electric car to make the switch.
"Rather than grasp the challenge and use the tax system to ease concerns over affordability, the Prime Minister has taken the easy option with one eye on polling day."