THE government remains on course to ban the importation and registration of petrol and diesel cars that are new to the Island by 2030, according to the Assistant Environment Minister.
Giving an update on the Island’s Carbon Neutral Roadmap – which sets out how Jersey will reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 – Deputy Hilary Jeune said that work to enact the legislation started in May, with a first draft expected by the end of next year.
The proposal mirrors one made by the UK government. The vast majority of new cars arriving in Jersey come from the UK.
Earlier this year, the European Parliament voted to approve a law that effectively bans the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and light commercial vehicles from 2035.
However, concerns have been raised that there will not be enough electric charging points by 2030, based on current installation rates.
With this in mind, the government plans to launch an electric-vehicle purchase and charger incentive scheme later this summer, and it has set up a working group with Jersey Electricity to speed up the roll-out of charging points.
Deputy Jeune said: ‘After a year in the role, it felt like the right time to update Islanders on our progress. I’m really proud of the work we’ve done already to bring the many policies of the Carbon Neutral Roadmap to life. We’ve made a positive start to tackling transport and heating emissions. The task ahead of us remains huge and the whole Island will need to work together to meet our incredibly ambitious emissions reduction targets.
‘I’d like to thank those who have supported the current initiatives and at the same time encourage more Islanders and businesses to find out what they can do to reduce their emissions from transport and heating.’
Initiatives are currently being paid for from a £23 million ringfenced fund, which is budgeted to last until the end of 2025. A longer-term funding plan is now being drawn up, which will be included in future Government Plans.
