More and more countries are making the transition to electric vehicles in a bid to save the climate and reduce carbon emissions as much as possible. Many countries are already offering money to people who exchange their fossil fuel-powered vehicles for electric vehicles. Britain is planning to ban all petrol and diesel heavy good vehicles from 2040 as part of their extensive plan to achieve net-zero emissions.
Carbon emissions have been skyrocketing ever since bitcoin mining started. China went up to number one on the carbon emissions list just because of the sheer amount of miners operating in the country. This is one of the reasons China is cracking down on bitcoin miners in the country and has banned further mining operations. Britain is currently planning to only ban heavy goods vehicles from 2040 meaning other vehicles will most likely soon follow.
The news comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares to hold the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Scotland later this year. This might mean that Britain wants to look good if it’s going to host a climate conference. According to the government, they will ban the sale of smaller diesel trucks from 2035 while larger ones that weigh more than 26 tonnes, will be banned from 2040. Britain is also planning to create a net-zero rail network by 2050.
This means big changes are coming to the transportation system in Britain in the coming years. They are even planning to achieve net-zero domestic aviation emissions by 2040. According to Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps “Decarbonisation is not just some technocratic process. It’s about how we make sure that transport shapes the quality of life and the economy in ways that are good. It’s not about stopping people doing things: it’s about doing the same things differently”.
Many big companies such as Apple and Amazon are also aiming to reduce carbon emissions in key areas of their business and industry. Amazon is even going as far as to buy and build new renewable energy sources like wind farms in a bid to reduce the company’s overall carbon emissions. They also have plans to get net-zero carbon emissions. According to Tim Cook, “Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share”.
It will also be interesting to see just how the British government goes about achieving net-zero aviation emissions. Their target timeline is 2050 with “an action plan for how it can be achieved – ensuring everyone can continue to fly for holidays, visits to family and business without contributing to climate change”.
I bet we’ll be seeing a lot of used petrol and diesel cars on sale in the market in the coming months.
