UK Government Faces Criticism Over EV and North Sea Drilling Plans Amid Climate Crisis

## UK Government Faces Criticism Over EV and North Sea Drilling Plans Amid Climate Crisis The UK government has been criticized for its plans to cut electric vehicle sales targets and accept North Sea drilling at a time when the country is experiencing devastating wildfires caused by the climate emergency. The criticism comes as the government has acknowledged that the climate crisis is behind hundreds of wildfires that have ripped across parts of the UK. The government has launched a consultation on cutting the target for new electric vehicles to as little as 50% of all new cars in 2030, down from 80% under existing rules. This move has been strongly opposed by climate campaigners and the electric car charging industry, which has plans to spend billions of pounds to install charge points across the country. The switch to electric vehicles is expected to be the single biggest contributor to cutting UK carbon pollution in the next decade, according to the government's Climate Change Committee. Environmental groups have also criticized the government's decision to consider weakening one of the UK's key climate policies on electric vehicles. Greenpeace has said that permitting extraction at the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea is a "Rubicon that he must not cross" after five heatwaves this summer. The decision to consider weakening the policy comes as the country has recorded its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 38C. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has acknowledged the seriousness of the climate crisis, saying that "we cannot accept this as the new normal." However, he has also defended his "pragmatic" approach on extracting oil and gas from the North Sea. The government will shortly have to decide whether to allow new drilling at the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, with a consultation on the former closing on Monday. Climate campaigners have urged Burnham to put policies in place to deal with the scale of the crisis, including ramping up new investment in renewable energy and climate jobs, doubling down on insulating homes, and improving public transport. They have also called on the government to say no to new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea. The government has said that it needs to keep targets under review to ensure they are practical and back British industry. However, climate campaigners have said that weakening the rules would be a "wrong turn for drivers, energy security, our climate, and the economy." They have also said that the mandate is one of the most powerful policies to bring down planet-heating emissions, which is the only way to stop more deadly heatwaves in the future. The consultation on cutting the target for new electric vehicles will run until 23 October, and van sales targets are also likely to be changed. The most extreme change proposed, cutting the headline rate to 50%, could reduce electric car sales by as much as 5.8m, according to analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.