What are they up to in Scotland with the ban on internal combustion engines?
The Scottish government first sends a document to Parliament to explain that the previous goal of phasing out combustion vehicles by 2030 is no longer considered feasible, but then reverses: the Sturgeon executive confirms its commitment. What's going on in Scotland?
When will diesel and petrol cars be banned from Scotland? In short, when will it be forbidden to produce new internal combustion engines? The question, which in itself seems easy, especially since a growing number of countries have set themselves a precise deadline, is actually embarrassing Edinburgh. But let's go in order…
SCOTLAND'S HAZARD ON INTERNAL ENGINES
Yesterday the Times reported that Scotland was moving away from the United Kingdom also as regards the ban on endothermics: no longer 2030 but from 2032. In a short time the news was picked up by all European agencies. Ansa reads: "Due to the slow construction of the country's charging network and the high costs of running an electric car, the Scottish Government has postponed to 2032 the date on which new petrol and diesel cars will be prohibited from sale. Energy and Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said this to the Edinburgh parliament, underlining – reports The Times newspaper – that the previous 2030 goal of phasing out combustion vehicles is not considered feasible”.
And, again: “Scotland's decision is part of a new 194-page document outlining the country's decarbonisation plans, which include a push for renewable energy by phasing out fossil fuels.”
Ahead of the publication of a new energy strategy today, First Minister @NicolaSturgeon visited @PNDC_UK in Cumbernauld to hear about the vital research work going on to deliver a Just Transition to Net Zero. https://t.co/6fDJFBZszN pic.twitter.com/apM28QPxVm
— First Minister (@ScotGovFM) January 10, 2023
Since then, the phone of Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon , who is committed to decarbonisation , must have started ringing repeatedly. So much so that, a few hours pass, and the government itself announces that Scotland denies the maxi document just sent to Parliament and confirms the previous commitment.
“Some text in the draft incorrectly referenced phase-out dates for petrol and diesel cars and vans. The wording has been reviewed and the necessary corrections have been made. It is a pity that, as the ANSA has reported, more than a mere clerical error (2032 instead of 2030) it would be a real about-face, if we consider that in this regard there would be the reasons given by the Secretary of Energy and Transport Michael Matheson to justify why the previous 2030 goal to phase out combustion vehicles was no longer considered feasible. So what happened in Scotland and why this double 'U' turn in the space of a few hours?
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/che-combinano-in-scozia-col-bando-ai-motori-a-scoppio/ on Fri, 13 Jan 2023 10:35:26 +0000.