Tory shadow energy minister claims 2050 net zero goal ‘not based on science’

The Conservative party’s vigor spokesperson has attacked starring clime scientists arsenic biased and claimed Kemi Badenoch could instrumentality the UK retired of the Paris clime agreement.

Andrew Bowie, the acting shadiness caput for energy, told the Guardian that the people of reaching nett zero greenhouse state emissions by 2050 – passed into instrumentality by Theresa May – was “arbitrary” and “not based connected science”.

He besides indicated that the UK’s information successful the 2015 Paris clime agreement was up for reconsideration successful the party’s ongoing reappraisal of cardinal policies. The lone different state to person withdrawn from the statement is the US, twice, under Donald Trump.

Bowie said: “We are not clime deniers and portion we judge successful getting to nett zero, what we shouldn’t bash is beryllium hamstrung by arbitrary targets specified arsenic a day of 2050, which was concocted simply due to the fact that it was a bully extremity constituent arsenic a date. There’s nary technological rationale for choosing 2050 arsenic the constituent to which we should scope nett zero.”

However, the crushed May, arsenic premier minister, set 2050 arsenic a date – on with the world’s different developed countries – was that it is successful enactment with technological proposal connected gathering the Paris statement people of limiting somesthesia rises preferably to 1.5C supra preindustrial levels, oregon surely good beneath 2C, by 2050.

The Intergovernmental Panel connected Climate Change (IPCC), the assemblage of starring clime scientists, set retired successful its landmark assessments of the world’s cognition of clime subject – regarded arsenic the golden modular for research, though seen arsenic excessively blimpish by immoderate scientists – the request for planetary emissions to reach nett zero by mid-century successful bid to person a greater than adjacent accidental of limiting somesthesia rises to 1.5C.

Friederike Otto, a climatologist and elder lecturer astatine the Grantham Institute astatine Imperial College London, said: “From a technological constituent of view, nett zero is perfectly crucial. We cannot stabilise temperatures without reaching zero caller emissions successful the atmosphere. The lone IPCC emissions scenarios that stabilise temperatures astatine beneath 2C, arsenic agreed connected successful the Paris agreement, request nett zero by 2050 globally, truthful if thing a state similar the UK should scope it earlier, not later.”

Bowie said of the IPCC: “They’re biased towards their worldview, which is that we request to trim clime emissions by a definite arbitrary date. That is not conducive to the wide economical wellbeing of this country.”

Andrew Bowie successful the House of Commons successful 2021. Photograph: Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/PA

He added: “There’s rather a fewer scientists that accidental we don’t request to get to nett zero by 2050.” Bowie and his bureau were incapable to sanction specified scientists erstwhile pressed.

In 2021, the past Tory authorities led a planetary effort to get developed countries to motion up to nett zero by 2050 portion hosting the Cop26 UN clime summit successful Glasgow.

Bowie said: “[There is] nary mode of reaching that [net zero by 2050 target] without making ourselves poorer oregon without being much reliant connected overseas interests for our vigor needs. So what we request to bash is spell distant and make an vigor strategy that allows america to decarbonise perfectly but to bash it successful a mode which is conducive to the country’s prosperity and to our vigor and nationalist security, and that’s the presumption we find ourselves in.”

Recent probe by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has shown that tackling the clime situation volition improve alternatively than hamper economical growth. Other studies, going backmost to the 2006 Stern review commissioned by the UK government, person besides recovered a beardown economical rationale for tackling planetary heating, which is connected way for catastrophic levels unless planetary emissions are reduced.

The Tories are conducting a reappraisal of policy, which volition encompass nett zero and vigor policy. Bowie is the acting shadiness vigor caput portion Claire Coutinho, who was vigor information and nett zero caput nether Rishi Sunak, is connected maternity leave.

Bowie said the reappraisal was not implicit but Badenoch had “been sceptical astir the nett zero by 2050 committedness for immoderate time”, truthful that though a nett zero people of immoderate benignant could beryllium kept, it would not beryllium for 2050.

Mike Childs, the caput of science, argumentation and probe astatine Friends of the Earth, said: “The IPCC is made up of the world’s astir eminent clime scientists from 195 subordinate states. In compiling its assessments connected the wellness of our planet, a process that takes years of in-depth probe and analysis, the IPCC’s findings are taxable to extended scrutiny and technological rigour earlier being published. It’s unthinkable for the shadiness vigor curate to suggest helium has greater authorization connected our clime than the world’s apical minds.”