Net Zero is a National Security Threat and Must Be Abandoned, Former Security Minister Warns
Decarbonising the steel and electricity industry in pursuit of Net Zero represents a real and present danger to national security and must be abandoned, a former Security Minister has warned.
Writing in a foreword to a new paper from campaign group Net Zero Watch, Sir Gerald Howarth, Minister for International Security Strategy under David Cameron, said:
Our adversaries are watching us like hawks, so let us leave them in no doubt: we are rearming and rebuilding, and Net Zero is firmly on hold.
Professor Gwythian Prins, a defence expert and one of the paper’s authors, agrees that with the recent deterioration of the world’s security situation, “luxury beliefs” such as Net Zero must be jettisoned as a matter of urgency:
This is the moment when the music stops. The Port Talbot closure harshly exposes the costs of luxury ‘green’ beliefs. We cannot be dependent on imports for the full range of necessary steels to rebuild our arsenals – the Navy first and foremost – and, most ridiculously, we cannot depend for them on our global antagonists.
Furthermore, our armed forces are wholly dependent on oil to keep them in the field, and our electricity grid will collapse without gas. Any attempt to abandon them will leave us entirely at the mercy of hostile powers.
The paper also includes a contribution from Gautam Kalghatgi, a Professor of Combustion and Energy Engineering, who ridicules plans to decarbonise the armed forces through use of batteries and biofuels.
Historian (and Daily Sceptic regular) Guy de la Bédoyère sets out the eternal historical lesson that technological laggards usually end up the victims of conquest by their more advanced neighbours.
Mr. de la Bédoyère said:
It is impossible to diminish the effectiveness of a nation’s armed forces without making it a sitting duck for a more ambitious rival’s greed. But that’s exactly what our leaders seem to want to do.
Andrew Montford, Director of Net Zero Watch said:
The three contributors make it clear that Net Zero is leaving us at the mercy of hostile powers. A Net Zero army and a Net Zero economy could both be brought to their knees in a matter of days. In these dangerous times, our politicians must re-order their priorities.
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I was part of the UK Defence industry for over 40 years. I trained many of the leaders of our major programmes in advanced project management techniques.
Today’s news that our Quick Reaction Alert Typhoons are to be stood down, with years of service life left, leaves me quaking with anger.
I’m midway (having now retired) in a major 3D reconstruction of a WW2 RAF Bomber Command base where my dad served as Lancaster Sgt Pilot.
55,573 young men, ave age 21, gave their lives for us.
80 years later, I wonder why. Wokism, greenism and covidism imposed on us by the administrative state has killed Britain more effectively than Hitler planned.
Question is, what will we, the people, do about it?
Life under Hitler would be better than under the planned net zero. I’m not bigging up Hitler before the wets get shirty I’m comparing eating dog mess with consuming diarrhea.
I thank you for your service and for your enlightening comment here on DS. The Third Reich could not beat us with weapons so the Fourth Reich is doing it without them.
Why are Typhoons being stood down.
With military kit generally I have never understood why we scrap viable equipment as soon as replacements come into service. I am not sure this would be true about a fighter jet but much else must be usable by fast trained or returning retired personnel. Look horw well Russia has done with 1950s and 1960s tanka dn guns. I do not suggest keeping it for so long but, for example, if Ukraine can majke good use of Challenger 2 why not us in an emergency.
The political class (the elite as Matt Goodwin calls them in a wider sense) seem to believe “The End Of History” was a non-fiction book whereas it was apolitical polemic.
In some ways if Russia did beat Europe in some war, the aftermath might mean life might be better. They may well close our border firmly and with kinetic solutions. They may well restore our culture and traditions and revitalise Christians worship and standards. They may well resolve the problem of ungrateful immigrants attacking us day in and day out with their whining and complaining and demands for handouts and lack of work ethic.
Or we may become hard and uncompromising because of us losing such a war and being forced to reconsider who we are and how we run this country. That may cause us to become harsh and unsympathetic to migrants and other hangers on.
Ehh … Hitler never planned to kill Britain. The guy who wasn’t willing to let the war end in the West after it had been lost on the continent was called Churchill.
Hitler was prepared to recognise the British Empire—–apparently. ——But when it comes to Hiter and the third Reich we should not assume anything to be “apparent”
What an army of flag waiving homosexuals powered by leccy tanks isn’t going to be a top fighting force? Who’d have thought.
“Come on men, attack!”
“I can’t sir, I’ll get mud on my boots”
I’m surprised there aren’t any rainbow tanks and rainbow camouflage attire commissioned – yet. I suppose there’s time…
Ask yourself: could you kill a man?
Eventually.
Don’t forget all those strong, independent women that Shapps said would be the solution
When the US Marines conducted an effectiveness exercise using males and females, they found that female warriors were only 60% as combat impactful as men. If we send women to fight and they send their best men, we will be massacred
It is all the “Green Crap” as Cameron called it until the squirmers get into office then suddenly it is the most important issue facing humanity and we all “must fight climate change”. ——-But why do we need to fight it harder and faster than everyone else? Let’s face it, if the UK were to vanish under the waves tomorrow afternoon it would have no measurable effect on global climate. So why do we have to be “world leaders” in saving the planet? —–The answer is very simple. —-Climate Change isn’t about the climate or the planet. It is all about UN politics called Sustainable Development where the wealthy countries in Europe UK USA etc have apparently used up more than our fair share of the fossil fuels in the ground and we are now to fob our citizens off with niche part time technologies like wind and sun. ——-There is no climate crisis. The only western politician with a backbone to stand up against the world government in waiting at the UN with their social and climate justice eco socialist policies is TRUMP. ——–Hopefully the silly Eco Socialist Democrats and Biden will be chucked out and once again America… Read more »
‘This excellent and timely paper, compiled by three learned academics, not only exposes the intrinsic nonsense of Net Zero (closing down UK steel plants and importing steel products from coal-powered China and shipping them half way round the world does nothing to cut carbon emissions) but serves as a valuable wake-up call.
We need to recognise the critical importance of maintaining – even rebuilding – sovereign capability. As the former Labour defence minister, Lord Drayson, said, ‘Without sovereign capability you have no operational sovereignty’
Sir Gerald Howarth
Sir Gerald Howarth hints here that defence of the realm may be more secure under a labour administration.
He may very well be correct……….
But Steel Plants are just a small part of it. The whole electricity system is to be transformed away from coal and gas, with thousands of turbines everywhere, and new infrastructure to carry the part time electricity. The 21 million gas boilers are to be removed and we have all to rip up the floor and haul radiators out at huge expense and stick a noisy expensive heat pump in that won’t cut it in cold weather. The transport system is all to be electrified with cars, busses etc all getting rid of petrol and diesel. Then there is still shipping and air travel ——The cost of this absurdity is in the trillions but not a single question was asked in parliament about the cost or viability of this political agenda masquerading as concern for the planet.
Response from the Uniparty in Parliament, the BBC and the usual tax payer funded groups will be to dismiss this all as extremism and suggest the authors must be funded by the oil and military industries. The idea any of them will think about it is for the birds.
What would they say? “Ah, we hadn’t thought of that”. “Our civil servants didn’t mention that MBTs can’t be run on batteries”. “Other countries have said at COP meetings they will never take advantage” and other similar tripe.
Net Zero is a religion. It’s not amenable to old fashioned logic such as this. Get over it!
Net zero is clearly a far greater threat to ordinary citizens than Putin and anyone believing otherwise is a blustering idiot or earth worshipper.
Putin was no threat to us but the West deliberately and wilfully went about provoking the Bear until it responded, now we don’t like it! We are doing a great job of destroying our economy and our values and we have no one to blame but our own government!
We are governed, and managed (leftist civi Serpents) by stupid, ignorant people. One of those problems can be fixed by education.
Our armed forces are combat ineffective unless tightly holding the hand of uncle Sam. Shameful negligence on Major, Bliar, Browne, Cameron, May, Johnson and Sunak’s part. We are nearly defenceless apart from our non-independent deterent which relies on uncle Sam again to allow us to fire it. Only France actually has an independent of America, nuclear deterrent.
Sounds like the realities of life are hitting home. But, in this day and age, it could be another get out of jail free card, they’re not filling for it lads. Then again Net Zero was a commie infiltration from the off.
How is it possible children know net zero is an unrealistic goal, and yet this government insists on pursuing it? For goodness sake, clean up your streets, highway verges, town centres. This country is a disgrace, an embarrassment. Spend our taxes carefully. We do not want another penny to be sent to Ukraine. Treat your military with respect and dignity. Respect the wishes of those paying for your salary. You work for us, not the other way around.