UK to Stop Selling Gas and Diesel Cars by 2030

Curbing car emissions will go a long way to help the UK meet its Paris Accord goals. That’s why the date to end the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars has been moved forward five years to 2030.

Prime minister Boris Jonson just announced the new ban amid a host of other green measures, according to CNN. The government hopes that this policy will increase the number of electric cars sold in the UK.

Today, gasoline and diesel-powered cars account for over 73 percent of new car sales while all electric vehicles were only 5.5 percent of sales. Hybrids, which use a mixture of fuel and electric power, make up the remaining sales and  are not going to be banned until 2035.

The rest of the announcement pertained to a new 10-point “green industrial revolution” plan that will jump start the low-carbon economy according to The Guardian and to get the country on track to meet the net zero-emission goal by 2050. This is particularly important since the UK will be hosting the Cop26 that was rescheduled for November 2021.

The plan includes £12 billion ($16 billion) in government investment and it is expected that the private sector will chip in at least three times that amount according to CNN. The government is planning to use some of the funding to build electric vehicle charging points and to develop and produce electric car batteries. There will also be subsidies that will help lower the cost of zero and low-emissions cars.

“Although this year has taken a very different path to the one we expected, the United Kingdom is looking to the future and seizing the opportunity to build back greener,” Johnson said in a statement to CNN. “The recovery of our planet and of our economies can and must go hand-in-hand.”

The UK’s new electric car deadline is going to be the strictest for any country in the world. Norway’s new law provides for all new cars and passenger vans sold to be zero-emission by 2025. While a new executive order in California bans the sale of fossil-fuel powered cars by 2035, no other state has followed.

“Success will depend on reassuring consumers that they can afford these new technologies, that they will deliver their mobility needs and, critically, that they can recharge as easily as they refuel. For that, we look to others to step up and match our commitment,” Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. “We will now work with [the] government on the details of this plan, which must be delivered at pace to achieve a rapid transition.”

With the UK taking green giant steps, there is a strong possibility that the EU will follow. Meeting the Paris Accord goals are an important step in controlling climate change and saving the planet. This is an easy way to do it.

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