I fear that 2022 may be the year when a section of the Tory party turns decisively against Net Zero. It's a rallying cry that can speak both to the tax-cutting, libertarian wing of the party and to culture warriors looking for a new front against "experts", "elites" and "wokery". 
Tory hostility to Net Zero has been constrained thus far by loyalty to Johnson, but that's fading. As the cost of living rises, the temptation will grow to blame "elitist" and "left-wing" environmental policies (not Brexit or NI rises) for driving up costs for "ordinary people".
There is already a "Net Zero Scrutiny Group" in Parliament, staffed by ERG veterans, while campaign groups on social media consistently cast Net Zero as an elite project that should be halted by a referendum.
As @PeterKGeoghegan has noted, there are striking similarities in personnel, rhetoric, campaign tactics & finance to the campaign that won the Tory Party for Brexit. And soaring energy bills, like the Eurozone crisis, provide a favourable backdrop. opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-…
Supporters of NetZero need to learn the lessons of past failures. Don't take democratic consent for granted: work to build & sustain it. Never assume that only "fruitcakes, loonies & closet racists" disagree. Above all: don't leave the problems populists will tap into unaddressed
And if you're a Tory MP who really *does* support NetZero, don't take the path of least resistance. Don't assume someone else will win the fight for you. There is a good conservative case for climate action. It needs making, if the Tory Party is not to follow the path of the GOP.
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