Letter to the Editor: No doubt Net-Zero is now well known globally, particularly in the UK and European countries which had put it in law without much thought. 

The UK aims to achieve net-Zero by 2050 and the Forest of Dean District Council is ahead of the pack wanting to achieve it by 2030, never mind the average citizen has no idea what it means to his lifestyle or how it will be achieved.

In his new book Not Zero, journalist Ross Clark suggests the Government has bitten off far more than it can chew with a policy agenda that threatens to make Brits a lot worse off, with almost no benefit to the environment.

Ultimately, human beings and animals by their very existence consume scarce resources including energy and emit methane and CO2. 

Unless their numbers are drastically reduced, there will be no reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas release.

Exploring the topic a little further, it’s noted that the UK with its 65 million people emits a fraction of the global total of greenhouse gases  such as methane and carbon dioxide. 

Whilst European countries are attempting to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Earth’s more populous and industrialised countries such as China, India and even the USA continue to expand their industries and power generation using fossil fuels.

Transport and home heating/cooling consume a major part of the world’s energy resources. No renewable solutions exist to replace aviation fuel. 

Banning petrol and diesel cars by the 2030s and replacing with electric cars and lorries is also a dream. 

Renewable electricity will not be able to replace fossil-fuels on the scale used today in home heating/air conditioning, transport and industry.

Apart from energy use in manufacturing, transporting and processing, domestic and industrial wastes also need energy mainly derived from fossil fuels.  

Those who understand basic chemistry will also know that removing CO2, methane, and other green-house gases from industrial processes are complex and expensive and requires more energy.

Industrial and domestic waste treatment are also energy-intensive and release CO2.

The truth is Europe/UK and other industrialised and rich nations have exported their dirty energy and carbon-intensive industries to countries such as China, India and countries in South Asia. 

Waste is also exported to poorer countries for processing, where labour costs and  environmental standards are low, and regulations lax.

Europe/UK have not yet woken up to the scale of costs to be incurred and complexities of replacing all fossil fuel use. 

Energy source replacement  in aviation and some industrial processes is practically impossible. 

Net-Zero will remain a myth unless world population is brought down significantly and human lifestyle goes back to the pre-industrial era. 

How that is to be achieved is a topic too painful to discuss.  

Venk Shenoi, Blaisdon