Chris Packham launches legal challenge to watered-down net zero plan

Conservationist Chris Packham has applied for a judicial review of the government’s decision to slow down the phasing out of fossil fuel boilers.

The TV presenter is fundraising £75,000 for the case, to challenge the announcements made by Rishi Sunak in September 2023 that his government would delay key targets around vehicles and gas boilers.

On the fundraising page, Packham states:

The decisions flout decision-making processes set down in the Climate Change Act 2008 to ensure legally binding targets for emission reductions can be met and undermine years of careful policy making on these issues. Once published, the public and industry should be able to rely on the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, expect it to be delivered and should be notified and consulted if the Government wishes to vary, delay or abandon key policies within it.

Read the entire statement here: crowdjustice.com/case/is-the-pm-a-climate-leader-or-a-climate-loser/

On X, formerly known as Twitter, Packham posted:

In September the Prime Minister and his Government announced delays for key climate commitments, tearing up plans to tackle vehicle emissions & phase out gas boilers . Today I can announce I’m taking them to the High Court – but I need your help.

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told The Guardian:

We strongly reject these claims and will be robustly defending this challenge. We have overdelivered on every carbon budget to date and these changes keep us on track to meet our legal net zero commitments. We routinely publish future emissions projections across all sectors and will continue to do so.