In a key speech on Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce the country's "green industrial revolution" as he unveils a blueprint for protecting the environment, the Daily Mail reports referring to extracts of Johnson's speech earlier seen by the newspaper.
"My ten-point plan will create, support, and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050", Johnson will purportedly say.
He will also note that Britain's "green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the North East, propelled by the electric vehicles made in the Midlands, and advanced by the latest technologies developed in Wales" so that the country can "look ahead to a more prosperous, greener future".
The £12 billion ($15 billion) plan stipulates that sales of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned in the UK in 2030, amid the push for electric vehicles. The latter will come with a £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion) investment in charging points in homes, streets, and trunk roads.
In addition, he will reportedly promise to protect and restore the environment, including planting 75,000 acres of trees every year.
Automobile Association President Edmund King has, meanwhile, remained upbeat about Johnson's blueprint, calling the 2030 deadline for petrol and diesel cars "incredibly ambitious".
"One of the biggest challenges will be for car makers to change more than 100 years of combustion engine production to cater for an electric future within a decade", he argued.
King was echoed by Rebecca Newsom of Greenpeace UK, who dubbed the government's push to switch to electric cars a landmark announcement and a "turning point on climate action".
Johnson's speech will come after the government said in a statement on 30 September that "the first-ever hydrogen-powered train will run on the UK mainline today in a big step forward towards the UK's net-zero targets", a reference to London's drive to cut carbon emissions.
The UK is aiming to invest in hydrogen as an alternative fuel for public transport, heavy goods rail, maritime traffic, and aviation, while creating hundreds of new jobs.
