Climate change denier? Not me. I believe the science that says our planet is getting warmer. And on the subject of home truths, I love driving pure-electric cars. It’s just that I won’t be buying one until their selling prices drop further, they’re cheaper to insure and Britain’s public charging network becomes better, cleaner and more affordable. Like most Brits living in the real world, I use fossil fuels – at home; in the workplace; on visits to shops, eateries, entertainment venues; when travelling aboard buses, coaches, taxis, trains, planes, ferries. Surprise, surprise, I also buy, own and use motor cars. And as much as I love pure-electric vehicles, it’s state-of-the-art, non-plug-in hybrids that I prefer at this time, because they better suit my daily driving requirements, wallet and lifestyle. That said, I understand and respect the fact that other drivers have different needs and budgets and might therefore opt for 100 per cent petrol, pure-electric, plug-in hybrid, diesel, LPG, hydrogen or even solar or pedal-powered vehicles. And why not? It’s right, proper and perfectly legal that residents are free to continue using their ‘old-tech’ (but still efficient, reliable and reasonably cost-effective) gas boilers, fires and cookers at home. Just as it’s right, proper and legal that drivers who prefer petrol or diesel cars over the hybrid or pure-electric alternatives aren’t prevented from buying such ICE vehicles from showrooms when 2030 arrives – just 41 months from now. One night last week, Channel 4’s hour-long news programme allowed its presenter and a correspondent to bang on about “climate change caused by fuel pollution” which, they claimed, “makes heatwaves more common and intense” and “three to four degrees Celsius hotter now than they should be.” Really? Solely down to pollution from fuel? To illustrate, they showed footage of a bloke called Andy who burnt the soles of his feet when he walked barefoot “across hot sand and hot tarmac”. But was it the oft-repeated “climate change caused by fossil fuel pollution” that should be blamed for his injuries? Or should he blame his daft self for choosing, on a blisteringly hot day, to tread on hot tarmac while shoeless? Another question for Andy: before walking on such surfaces, have you ever thought about investing in footwear? The same programme allowed Camilla Born, CEO of Electrify Britain, a pressure group established/funded by three major electricity giants, to make three astonishing claims: 1. “No one wants to have to run their boiler on gas.” 2. “Right now, everyone wants a heat pump.” 3. “No one wants to use petrol or diesel to fill their car.” Wrong, wrong and wrong. Rarely, if ever, have I seen and heard a CEO make statements that are so factually incorrect.
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