Net zero: Rishi Sunak announces plans to delay petrol and diesel car ban

Image source, WPA Pool

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pushed back a plan to ban selling new petrol and diesel cars.

The original plan was that people wouldn't be allowed to buy new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. This has now been pushed back to 2035.

This was all a part of a big announcement about net zero, and Rishi Sunak has made some other changes to the UK's climate change plan as well.

Unsure about what all the words mean? You can find a climate change term-buster further down the page.

What has been announced?

Image source, Carl Court

Image caption, The Prime Minister says he wants to slow down the move into using electric vehicles

Rishi Sunak's original plan was to ban people from buying petrol and diesel cars from 2030. This is because cars powered by petrol and diesel emit carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas.

This ban is now going to be pushed back until 2035. He said that by 2030, lots of people will be using electric cars anyway as technology gets better.

He has also said people will have more time to change over to using heat pumps to keep their homes warm. Heat pumps are an extremely energy efficient way to create heat, but Rishi Sunak says they can be quite expensive to install.

Image source, Andrew Aitchison

Image caption, This is a heat pump - it's used instead of a boiler to keep your home warm

Also, the Prime Minister says that there won't be a ban on drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.

Oil and gas are fossil fuels, and when burned they release greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global warming.

What does this mean?

Image source, WPA Pool

Image caption, Rishi Sunak held a special press conference, where he explained the new plans in front of journalists

This latest announcement is a change to what Rishi Sunak has said about the UK's green plans in the past.

He has said that the UK will reach net zero by 2050, and that the UK has "overdelivered" on its climate change policies so far.

Image source, 漏 Ian Laker Photography

Image caption, One way to remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere is by planting trees - they absorb carbon dioxide

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had announced a plan for the UK to reach net zero. This was criticised by environmental charities, but Rishi Sunak said people should be "really proud" of how the UK had been reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

He explained that his reason for pushing back some of the original plans was to make things easier for people in the UK.

What have people said?

Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House, has said he thinks Rishi Sunak should have made the announcement in the House of Commons, where all the MPs usually meet to discuss changes.

Rishi Sunak announced the changes in a press conference, in front of journalists.

Some people in Rishi Sunak's political party - the conservatives - have said they don't agree with the Prime Minister's decision. Zac Goldsmith, who used to be the minister for the environment for Rishi Sunak, says there needs to be a general election.

Rishi Sunak's supporters have praised his plans. Suella Braverman, who is in the conservative party and supports Rishi Sunak, says the UK is a "global leader" when it comes to combatting climate change.