A new Green Home Grant is essential if government is serious
about meeting new carbon targets, the Country Land & Business
Association (CLA) has said.
The comments come after the UK government announced a new climate
change target to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 based on 1990
levels.
Prior to enshrining its net zero commitment in law, the UK had a
target of reducing emissions by 80% by 2050 - but the government
now aims to achieve almost the same level 15 years earlier.
Mark Bridgeman, President of the CLA which represents
28,000 farmers and land managers across England and Wales,
said:
“More than 800,000 rural homes are heated by oil, and will need
to transition to cleaner sources of power in coming years, such
as heat pumps. But the Energy Saving Trust estimates that it
costs £19,000 to install one pump, with the annual bill saving of
using the technology just £20 a year. If Government does not help
bring about a green transition for rural communities – which so
often are first to suffer the impacts of climate change in this
country – then we risk it never happening at all.”
“We need a new Green Home Grant made available without delay. A
new, reformed scheme, properly thought through and adapted to
serve the whole country, is required if the Government is serious
about embarking on a journey to net zero carbon emissions.”
The new target will become enshrined in law by the end of June
2021.
