The Guardian view on diluting net zero targets: bad economics dictated by cynical politics | Editorial

The PM has chosen to put a narrow, divisive electoral calculation ahead of serious statecraft and responsible governmentIt takes a special kind of cynicism to assert that long-term planning must have primacy over short-term expediency while defending a policy choice that does the exact opposite. Rishi Sunak's decision to postpone deadlines for the transition to low-carbon technology is the very definition of tactical partisanship trumping strategic statecraft. That the prime minister sought to present it otherwise in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday shows contempt for anyone who understands the urgency of the climate crisis.The prime minister veils his ploy in economic terms. The claim is that measures designed to accelerate the switch to low-carbon technology - a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, for example, and a deadline for phasing out the installation of new gas boilers by 2035 - heap the cost of transition on consumers. Downing Street insists the commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 stands, but will be reached by "more proportionate" means. Continue reading...