On November 18th, Boris Johnson unfurled a bold ten-point plan to make Britain greener. He promised more offshore wind turbines, and more money for research into nuclear power and carbon capture and storage. By 2030 new petrol- and diesel-driven vehicles will be banned. Existing manufacturing bases will be encouraged to transition to electric-car-related manufacture. Low carbon hydrogen production capacity will be supported for industry, transport and homes.
While there are critics of the plan, it does include some bold climate change initiatives, geared around the UK’s strengths. It made me wonder how Britain compares with other English-speaking western countries. To answer this question, I looked into the practices and policies of the so-called ‘Five Eyes’ countries – USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – all with a common British heritage. What I found is summarized in the table below.
| USA | UK | Canada | Australia | New Zealand | |
| Population (m)1 | 331 | 68 | 38 | 25 | 5 |
| Carbon Emissions (Gt pa)2 | 5.4 | 0.37 | 0.56 | 0.42 | 0.079 |
| Emissions world ranking2 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 16 | >50 |
| Emissions per capita (t pa)2 | 16.6 | 5.6 | 15.3 | 16.9 | 15.8 |
| UN Paris Agreement | Biden to rejoin | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Goal for net zero emissions by3 | 2050 (Biden) | 2050 | 2050 | No goal | 2050 |
| Zero goal is legally binding3 | No | Yes | Pending law | N/A | Yes |
| Current renewable energy usage4 | 23% | 40% | 67% | 24% | 80% |
| Clean electricity target4 | 100% by 2035(Biden) | 100% by 2050 | 90% by 2030 | Est. 50% by 2030 | 100% by 2035 |
| CCPI Climate Policy rating 20205 | Very Low (Trump) | High (pre-Boris) | Medium | Very Low | Medium |
Sources:
1. worldometer.info
2. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/each-countrys-share-co2-emissions except NZ
3. https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/06/14/countries-net-zero-climate-goal/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandatory_renewable_energy_target
5. https://newclimate.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/CCPI-2020-Results_Web_Version.pdf
What the review shows is that the UK is already a relatively strong performer on climate. Its per capita emissions are well below its English-speaking peers. Its earlier climate policies scored highly even though the UK’s own independent Climate Change Committee doubted that its trajectory would have achieved net zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050—a target that became law last year.
Perhaps this is all just a political stunt from Boris, but it does seem refreshing to see a political leader respond with an actual climate plan that promises at least some hope of achieving its distant target, and one that invites positive action. Many say it’s still not enough, but it is setting the pace amongst most of its peers.
The laggards on climate policy are clearly the USA and Australia. The USA is the most important player in the climate stakes given its size, emissions, and global influence. The Biden policy promises much but may be severely hamstrung due to a lack of a majority in the Senate.
Australia sits at the bottom of the pack. Its emissions exceed the UK’s even though it only has just over a third of the UK’s population. Australia is the only country in the group without a zero emissions goal. An argument for Australia’s lack of action is that the country’s emissions are dwarfed by the larger countries, especially China. I responded to that claim in my post on Why Australia’s 1.3% Matters. New Zealand also doesn’t buy that argument.
Let’s hope we see some quick action come out of Boris’s plan, and see Britain set an example that others aim not only to emulate but to surpass.
