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🗞️ Driving the news: Alok Sharma, ex-Tory cabinet minister and chair of COP26, warns Rishi Sunak that alternative emissions reduction strategies are necessary after recent retractions in the UK’s green policy
• He expresses concerns post Sunak’s decision to extend the 2030 deadline on petrol and diesel vehicle sales to 2035 and weaken the boiler phase-out policy, emphasizing the need for stringent actions to uphold the UK’s climate commitments

🔭 The context: These policy reversals could elevate the UK’s emissions in the forthcoming decade, contradicting its internationally acclaimed stance against backsliding in climate commitments
• The postponement in the deadlines raises questions about the UK’s allegiance to its obligations under the Paris Climate Agreement, notably its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), aimed at intensifying the fight against climate change

🌎 Why it matters for the planet: The UK's perceived retreat in climate commitments is likely to infuriate several nations and might influence others to neglect their pledges
• This development is pivotal, as any deviation from established green plans can impair global climate action unity and compromise the collective strive for achieving the set environmental benchmarks

⏭️ What's next: The UK government needs to devise and reveal its revised strategies to counterbalance the relaxed policies and affirm its commitment to net-zero goals
• The forthcoming international dialogues and COP28 summit will be crucial, especially in determining whether the UK and other nations will align their actions with their climate commitments

💬 One quote: “Rolling back on existing policies risks going against a Paris agreement cornerstone of increased ambition, just months before Cop28 negotiations. The UK will now need to go even further in other areas…” (Sam Hunter Jones, Lawyer at ClientEarth)

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