Sacked conference president Claire O’Neill said Britain’s efforts to fight climate change were ‘miles off track’ Britain has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 LONDON: Britain announced Tuesday that it plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035 — five years earlier than its previous target — in a bid to speed up efforts to tackle climate change. But the UK government’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions was questioned by the woman who was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to head a United Nations’ global climate summit — and then was fired last week. Sacked conference president Claire O’Neill said Britain’s efforts to fight climate change were “miles off track.” Britain has pledged to reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. But the government’s advisory Committee on Climate Change has warned that domestic action to slash carbon dioxide and other gases that contribute to global warming is lagging far behind what is needed. The UK’s new 2035 target for ending gas and diesel sales is one of the world’s more ambitious. Several countries including France plan to stop by 2040. Norway — one of the most aggressive early adopters of electric cars — has a goal, but not a requirement, to eliminate gas and diesel cars, excluding hybrids, by 2025. But environmental groups said Britain’s goal was not ambitious enough. Rebecca Newsom, head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said “phasing out the internal combustion engine faster is an important piece of the puzzle.” “However, pushing the date later than 2030 would vastly reduce the chances of meeting our climate targets, and the potential to deliver thousands of electric vehicle manufacturing jobs,” she said. The UK says it will bring in a ban on fossil fuel cars and vans even earlier than 2035 “if a faster transition is feasible.” The ban will also include hybrid vehicles. The auto industry reacted coolly to the announcement. Mike Hawes, CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said the automakers were already moving toward “a zero emissions future,” and said the government had “moved the goalposts for consumers and industry.” The announcement was timed to coincide with the launch of Britain’s plans for the climate summit, known as the 26th Conference of the Parties, or COP26. It is scheduled to be held in Glasgow in November.