Tony Blair is right to call for ‘reset’ of ludicrous Net Zero debate
If energy secretary Ed Miliband still believes that critics of his dash to Net Zero are peddlers of “nonsense and lies” he has a new name to add to his list of dangerous misinformation merchants: Tony Blair. I do appreciate that some people believe that his name belongs on exactly that kind of list, but I’ll leave that to one side and focus instead on the latest contribution of his eponymous institute, which has released a new report called The Climate Paradox.
The former Prime Minister has penned a foreword in which he notes that, when it comes to the great climate debate, “political leaders fear saying what many know to be true: the current approach isn’t working.” For Blair, the current approach involves ignoring “facts that stand out in contradiction of the present policy approach.” He lists plenty, such as the inconvenient truth that demand for fossil fuels has risen, not fallen, and will continue to rise beyond 2030. He goes on to note that air travel is set to double over the next two decades, while by 2050 demand for steel will climb by 40 per cent and cement by 50 per cent. Africa, meanwhile, will see its population double in the next 30 years triggering huge (and not unreasonable) energy demands. Current climate and energy policies do not take these realities into account.
Technological innovations exist that could reduce the impact of these trends, but Blair warns “the disdain for this technology in favour of the purist solution of stopping fossil-fuel production is totally misguided.” He calls for a reset of the debate, focusing instead on more realistic timelines, better use of emerging technology, investment in nuclear energy and more work in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change, without disputing the science or diluting the urgency of the mission.
In his call for more pragmatism and less dogma, Blair brings a refreshing level of candour to a debate often characterised by extreme positions. He concludes that “political leaders by and large know that the debate has become irrational” but fear of being called a “climate denier” prevents them from moderating positions which have often become articles of faith. Too much of this debate is still defined by the collective moment of madness that saw MPs from across the spectrum fall over each other to enshrine Net Zero targets in law, and Blair’s report ought to bring them back down to earth.