British Government Moves to EVs to Combat Climate Change

March 13, 2015 – A second consecutive Friday the thirteenth? Yep! That’s what happens when the 13th falls on a Friday in February in a non-leap year. But there is good news on this 13th day of March and it comes from the Brits who seem to be taking climate change a bit more seriously than other jurisdictions. When you consider that Britain’s government is Conservative, it is even more surprising since so many conservative regimes seem to be running away from the issue.

Take for example Florida. The Governor and government of this American state has banned the words “climate change” from the lexicon. (Seriously folks, I’m not making this up.) In Australia, slowly roasting under increasingly extreme heat and drought, the Conservative government is in total denial as it tries to sell more coal to China. And in my own country, Canada, where a Conservative government is in power, expanding oil production from the tar sands of Alberta takes precedence over anything related to global warming and carbon reductions.

So what is Britain doing that is indeed a departure from other Conservative jurisdictions? In the last week the government announced that it was replacing its fleet of official ministerial-issued cars with low emission and electric vehicles (EVs). Initially 64 EVs and 76 low emission vans and automobiles. Ministers will be driving or be driven in the Nissan Leaf EV, all built in Britain.

This is the same government that recently offered a 10 million pound prize to encourage inventors to develop a new electric battery with extended range and durability. And to ensure that these batteries don’t end up running out of juice, the government, local municipalities and businesses are in the throes of building a widely-distributed infrastructure of charging stations. Another 500 million pounds is earmarked to promote and expand EV usage over the next few years. The British secretary of the treasury is recently quoted stating, “This is the right thing to do for both the environment and the taxpayer.”

Imagine, a Conservative minister in Canada, Australia or in the U.S. halls of congress making a statement like that. Take note, Canada, Australia, Florida, the U.S. Republican Party and others who think that climate change is a non-issue. Kudos to Britain for doing the right thing.

Related articles across the web

• Cutting out petrol for Lent: Father David’s electric car challenge for CAFOD
• UK’s Prime Minister Switching To A Nissan LEAF? UK Government Agencies Adding 140 ULEVs To Fleets
• Report: Florida Officials Banned From Saying ‘Climate Change’, ‘Global Warming’