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A sticking plaster over a gangrenous wound at the very most. Reaching net zero does not even meet the needs of last year's UN report, which argued that coal use must be *entirely eliminated* by 2050. #SocialismorExtinction bbc.co.uk/news/amp/scien…
Net zero does not mean zero. It means that emissions will be met by off-setting by 2050. Companies *can* continue to emit as much as they like, as long as they plant trees or, more likely, invest in carbon capture technology to offset their emissions.
One evident problem: there is no need for companies in Britain to lower emissions or even become *hypothetically* carbon neutral until 2050 under this legislation. Theoretically, they can even continue to produce a greater degree emissions until that date.
Second evident problem: carbon capture technology, which is very definitely going to be used, does not get rid of carbon. It stores it. It will then likely be buried, leading to the slow poisoning of the soil.
Britain's primary contributions to climate change come from its huge overseas investments and extractive monopolies, which remain utterly untouched by this. British imperialism is not leading the combat against climate change. It is ransacking the earth and pretending not to.
This is intended to assuage the protests against climate change we have seen over this year. It solves nothing.
We need net negative emissions now, not simply from offsetting, but from the dismantling of imperialist capitalism and the institution of socialism.
We need net negative emissions now, not simply from offsetting, but from the dismantling of imperialist capitalism and the institution of socialism.
Note: May's proposal also necessitates a deepening exploitation of the working class under imperialism. It is not only insufficient, it intends to try and breathe life into this vile system.
One final point - note the disclaimer: "we'll only keep going if it's still profitable" 
