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I know that complaining about media under-reporting of climate change is to howl at the moon, but the lack of focus on the net zero part of the Tory manifesto is genuinely remarkable. Short, ranty thread to follow...
At Boris Johnson's speech yesterday he started with a lengthy section on net zero and UK's critical position as a clean tech pioneer. It echoed his biggest speech of the campaign in that regard. He then returned to the UK's net zero goal at the end. https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3084206/tory-manifesto-boris-johnson-promises-to-put-british-ingenuity-and-enterprise-at-heart-of-net-zero-mission
The manifesto itself sets out six priorities. One of them is net zero and another is investment in infrastructure, schools and science which directly relates to net zero. https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3084206/tory-manifesto-boris-johnson-promises-to-put-british-ingenuity-and-enterprise-at-heart-of-net-zero-mission
And the general consensus from media commentariat is this is a 'play it safe' manifesto that has been focus grouped within an inch of its life and contains no big vision or overarching narrative and is of limited ambition beyond Brexit.
Now, I can see where that comes from and in many ways it is fair enough. Much of the manifesto is scatter gun and the sums involved do not feel transformative, but...
The PM (and all of the other main political leaders) is requesting a mandate for the full decarbonisation of the British economy within 30 years. He even put it at the top of his speech. That's the vision part. That's the overarching mission. It's right there.
This is categorically *not* a defence of the Tories' net zero plans and positioning.
a) journos tend to report what they are told, so the Party is not pushing net zero hard enough in briefing; and
b) the manifesto is a long way from being ambitious enough.
a) journos tend to report what they are told, so the Party is not pushing net zero hard enough in briefing; and
b) the manifesto is a long way from being ambitious enough.
There's some good and welcome stuff on clean tech, R&D, etc, but overall there is not enough detail or funding at this stage to actually ensure progress towards net zero accelerates. Plus Brexit remains a huge risk. But...
... the idea net zero should be glossed over or barely reported at all as part of a media narrative that suggests this is a pragmatic manifesto that is lacking in a big picture vision is just plain wrong.
The net zero goal being backed by all main parties is without precedent in its economic and technical ambition. It is Wilson's 'white heat of technology' and Blair's 'education, education, education' all rolled into one. It is a failure of journalism not to highlight that fact.
