Today we are taking a pragmatic path to ensure we can meet our Net Zero targets.
We are fully committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050. The UK has cut emissions by 48% since 1990 - more than any other major country. We've nearly eliminated coal, and grown our renewable energy sector.
However, we have to be honest. In the UK we only account for 1% of global emissions, and in other countries, emissions are rising much faster than ours are falling.
I know the huge pressures that households have faced over the last few years. The changes we are making today will help to protect people from rising costs. Crucially, they will also maintain public support for our ambitious Net Zero commitments, which we must protect.
We are easing the transition to electric vehicles in line with other major countries, and we are giving families more time to transition to heat pumps. Rather than banning boilers before people can afford the alternative, we're going to support them to make the switch. We're increasing the Boiler Upgrade Scheme by 50%, giving people cash grants to replace their boiler. This is now one of the most generous schemes in Europe.
We're scrapping ideas that would never achieve democratic support - no mandatory carpooling, no seven bins in homes, no tax hikes on meat and dairy.
We are leading the way in creating the high-skilled, highly paid jobs of the future - and we will continue to do so. We also want to seize the opportunities of the green economy, so we will speed up grid connections, fund new nuclear power, build more renewables and fund green R&D.
I am determined to leave our environment in a better state for future generations - we can't tackle climate change without protecting nature. Sadly, the destruction of forests around the world accounts for the equivalent of ten times the emissions of the entire UK. We must, and will, be doing more to protect our environment in the coming weeks.
Across Europe we have seen what happens when policies hit the poorest the hardest. We must protect the huge progress that we have made. Rather than policy that forces people to change, this is the path to Net Zero that takes people with us.
