Achieving net-zero carbon emissions will be eye-wateringly expensive
The politics will be tricky
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20210717_BRP504.jpg)
IN NOVEMBER BRITAIN will host the 26th UN climate-change conference, known as COP26, in Glasgow. For Boris Johnson, the prime minister, it will be a chance to play global statesman. Mr Johnson is fond of grand projects, and few are as grand as decarbonisation. Britain is one of 131 countries that have committed to reducing net carbon emissions to zero, or are discussing such a target—but one of just six to have enshrined that commitment in law.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Pain now, gain later”
Britain July 17th 2021
- England is building more homes than it has for many years
- Opponents of housebuilding claim to care more about the environment than prices
- Britain is no longer a leader in international giving
- Achieving net-zero carbon emissions will be eye-wateringly expensive
- An amnesty for Northern Irish killers is supposed to draw a line under the Troubles
- The shortage of HGV drivers in Britain is getting worse
- Liverpool’s changing skyline defies UNESCO
More from Britain
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240914_BRD001.jpg)
The harmony between Labour and Britain’s trade unions
They agree on the labour market above all
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240914_BRP501.jpg)
Britain’s submarines are at sea for too long—or not at all
No sunlight or fresh food for months
What’s next for Britain and the EU?
Brexit’s economic toll is now clear. But the path forward is murky
Britain’s ban on arms sales to Israel mixes politics and legalism
The government has outlined grounds for concern but not a coherent rationale
Britain and the EU find it easier to talk about guns than butter
But closer ties in foreign and security policy are still not easy to forge