Fears net zero is 'next Brexit' as oil crisis fuels political climate divide | Hacker News Reader

Fears net zero is 'next Brexit' as oil crisis fuels political climate divide

theguardian.com

3 pointsPaulHoule3 comments

> While support for net zero remains strong among voters, with more than 60% in favour of climate action, experts warn that the same techniques that won the Brexit referendum for the Leave camp – despite it being the underdog to begin with – are now being brought to bear on the climate.

...

> They think it’s an easy target, it’s easy politics, and they’re presenting [scrapping the policies] to people as a panacea.”

I think this is a mistaken analysis. They're not attacking net zero because it's good politics they're attacking net zero because it's liked by the public and hated by their funders.

They're part of the campaign trying to convince people to abandon things that are broadly popular.

I don't see any reason to give in to their "populist" framing of themselves. They're spending a lot of money to change people's minds.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_protests

My take is that the idea of "Net Zero" is somewhat popular, like in this study

https://www.ppic.org/publication/ppic-statewide-survey-calif...

62% of Californians are for it but I think people perceived it as involving trade-offs that interest would prove really thin, in

https://news.gallup.com/poll/704228/energy-concerns-not-spik...

they ask "What is the most important issue facing the country?" and it is under %1.

So long as it can be framed as "let's take away Elon Musk's private jet" (somebody else pays) it fits comfortably in the left-wing unicause but if it comes down to a $400/ton carbon tax that adds $4 to a gallon of gas I think it will be unpopular.

You might convince some billionaires that there are billions are made from it but to the average wage earner who already feels like they are barely treading water any real sacrifice could be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Personally I think we lost, like civilizational suicide lost, when "net zero" replaced "get off fossil fuels" because "net zero" seems to really mean: pump out all the carbon you want now, we will DAC it out in 2045 or right now you can fly on that jet and pay some tropical gangsters who say they planted some trees.

From your link:

Caused by

    Rise of crude oil prices in 2018[29]
    Fuel tax[30]
    Traffic enforcement cameras[31]
    Austerity measures[32]
    2017 wealth tax repeal[33]
    Opposition to neoliberalism[34][35]

Goals

    Increase of minimum wage in France[36]
    End to austerity measures[37]
    Improved standard of living[37]
    Government transparency and accountability[37]
    Improved government services for rural areas[37]
    42 demands in total[37]
    Constitutional proposal for a citizens' initiative referendum, including constitutional, legislative, abrogative, and recall initiatives[38]

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