Bid to speed up Manx climate targets rejected

The Climate Change Bill sets the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 in law

An attempt to bring forward the Isle of Man government's target of achieving net zero carbon emissions from 2050 to 2035 has been rejected by politicians.

Members of the House of Keys voted seven in favour and 17 against an amendment to the Climate Change Bill.

Environment Minister Geoffrey Boot said speeding up the change would be setting the island up for "failure".

Lawrie Hooper MHK, who tabled the amendment, said the government needed to be more "ambitious" with its goal.

Under the proposed bill, the 2050 date would be set in law, fossil fuel boilers would be banned by 2025 and restrictions on single-use plastics would be allowed.

It also ties the government to reaching the net zero goal entirely through domestic efforts.

'No faith'

The target date for emissions could still be moved forward through updated regulations, if the Council of Ministers deems it necessary, but it cannot be pushed further back.

Mr Hooper said he had "no faith that an action plan that is not tied to something ambitious is going to be delivered".

The island had an opportunity to become a "world leading green economy" and should be "grabbing the opportunities that present themselves", he added.

Mr Boot said imposing a target of 2035 could require a "significant ever increasing spending on international off-setting" that could damage the island's reputation.

He added that it could also "impact on those least able to afford and adapt to the change".

Several other amendments, including one which would implement some aspects of it earlier than previously planned, were backed.

The bill has now completed the clauses stage of the legislative process in the House of Keys and will return for its third reading before being passed to the Legislative Council for approval.