ECIU's Alasdair Johnstone responded to the Conservatives' new economic plan by pointing to the worst UK harvest on record after extreme heat and drought, plus hotter, poorer elderly households in homes that are hard to keep cool. He argued that reaching net zero is not just a political goal but the only scientifically grounded way to bring the climate back into balance and avoid extremes that will become impossible to adapt to. Johnstone also said slow progress on building regulations has left families with higher bills during recent gas crises, while better insulation and ventilation could help keep homes cool in summer. He linked soil health, hedges, and tree planting on farms to both resilience against wet and dry conditions and lower overall carbon emissions, an angle often missing from economic plan debates.
