UK Government Postpones Enforcement of Ban on Selling Gasoline and Diesel Vehicles
The UK government has launched a consultation on future hydrogen policy, inviting stakeholders to submit their views by October 27, 2023. This move comes as the government remains committed to its legally binding net zero target by 2050, with structured carbon budgets setting emissions caps every five years to guide progress.
In recent announcements, the UK is currently operating under its Fourth Carbon Budget (2023-2027), and the government is required to set subsequent budgets that align with the net zero goal. On February 26, 2025, the UK's independent Climate Change Committee (CCC) published its Seventh Carbon Budget covering 2038-2042, recommending a target of 535 million metric tons CO2 equivalent, including international aviation and shipping emissions. This ambitious budget aims to keep the UK on track for net zero by 2050.
The government plans to set the Seventh Carbon Budget into law by June 30, 2026, with a corresponding Carbon Budget Delivery Plan to follow. The CCC's Seventh Carbon Budget aligns with the UK's revised Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement, which targets an 81% reduction in emissions by 2035 relative to 1990 levels, and a 68% reduction by 2030.
In the Spending Review, the government committed to publishing a Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan in October 2025, including policies focused on decarbonising industry. The government has also relaunched the Net Zero Council with broader representation from the private sector, civil society, and local authorities to accelerate the transition. Other policies are being developed, including a Circular Economy Strategy due in Autumn 2025, which will contain sector roadmaps and wider measures to support sustainability.
Meanwhile, the UK government has made strides in carbon storage initiatives. 14 successful bidders received 21 licenses to use around 12,000sqkm of depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers for carbon storage. Three bidders received licenses for sites off the coast of Norfolk and could become part of the Bacton Energy Hub, a potential carbon storage, hydrogen, and offshore wind project where stored carbon dioxide could be used to create CCS-enabled hydrogen.
In terms of transportation, the ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars has been postponed from 2030 to 2035, while the government's policy now mandates that only electric battery-powered and some hybrid cars will be able to be bought new from 2035. The trial for domestic EV charging to provide flexibility in balancing mechanism for the first time has been initiated through the Power Responsive program, with the trial running until April 2024 and relaxing operational metering standards for assets of less than 100kW.
The Energy System Operator (ESO) predicts there could be up to 6GW of demand-side response from smart charging in the transport sector by 2030. Minister for Energy Efficiency and Green Finance, Lord Callanan, stated these first licenses are "vital to realising [the UK's] CCUS potential, playing a key role in the energy transition to help boost our energy security and achieve our net zero targets".
The government's preferred model for hydrogen blending would be to incorporate it as a reserve offtaker under the "Hydrogen Production Business Model". The UK government aims for 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030, with over 50% of that capacity to come from electrolytic hydrogen. The consultation aims to inform the government's next steps on the use of hydrogen, including its assessment of the strategic potential and economic value of blending.
The UK government has scrapped policies requiring landlords to improve the energy efficiency of rental properties, a decision that has sparked controversy among environmental groups and housing advocates. However, the government's focus on carbon storage, hydrogen production, and electric vehicles demonstrates a continued commitment to tackling climate change and achieving the net zero target by 2050.
In the context of the UK government's ongoing commitment to the net zero target by 2050, discussions about the role of environmental science in achieving this goal are essential. For instance, the government's preferred model for hydrogen production and use devotes attention to electrolytic hydrogen, a method closely related to science. Meanwhile, the sports sector is not left behind in the race to decarbonization, as the ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol cars has been postponed, signaling a shift towards electric vehicles in sports utility car markets.
