Not Zero: How an Irrational Target Will Impoverish You, Help China (and Won't Even Save the Planet)

The British government has set a legally binding climate change target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2050, which is universally approved by the political class. However, Ross Clark argues that this is a terrible mistake that will have massive downsides, such as a huge hit to living standards, a massive geopolitical advantage to hostile superpowers, and the commitment to ineffective technologies. This polemic provides a timely critique of a potentially devastating political consensus.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2024
Publisher: Swift Press

‘Bravely challenging the Establishment consensus … forensically argued’ - Mail on Sunday

The British government has embarked on an ambitious and legally-binding climate change target: reduce the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2050. The Net Zero policy was subject to almost no parliamentary or public scrutiny, and is universally approved by our political class. But what will its consequences be?

Ross Clark argues that it is a terrible mistake, an impractical hostage to fortune which will have massive downsides. Achieving the target is predicated on the rapid development of technologies that are either non-existent, highly speculative or untested. Clark shows that efforts to achieve the target will inevitably result in a huge hit to living standards, which will clobber the poorest hardest, and gift a massive geopolitical advantage to hostile superpowers such as China and Russia. The unrealistic and rigid timetable it imposes could also result in our committing to technologies which turn out to be ineffective, all while distracting ourselves from the far more important objective of adaptation.

This hard-hitting polemic provides a timely critique of a potentially devastating political consensus which could hobble Britain’s economy, cost billions and not even be effective.

Dimension: 198 x 129 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800752443