More than 120 world leaders gathered for the 26th Cop26 climate change summit in Glasgow, with Boris Johnson opening the show on Monday with his plan for a green industrial revolution.

For nearly three decades, the world’s governments have come together almost every year to forge a global response to the climate emergency.

Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of 1992, every country on Earth is bound by treaty to “avoid dangerous climate change” and find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse globally in a fair manner.

Cop stands for conference of the parties under the UNFCCC, and historic successes included the Paris Agreement in 2015, although many promises never materialized.

As part of the landmark Paris agreement, signed in 2015, countries pledged to keep global temperature rise “well below” 2 ° C above pre-industrial levels, while “continuing their efforts ”to limit heating to 1.5 ° C. These objectives are legally binding and enshrined in the treaty.

However, to achieve these goals, countries have also agreed on non-binding national targets to reduce – or in the case of developing countries, curb the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in the short term, d ‘by 2030 in most cases.

So far this week, around 100 world leaders have pledged to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, in the first major agreement from the COP26 climate summit.

Brazil – where swathes of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down – was among the signatories on Tuesday.

Cutting down trees contributes to climate change because it depletes forests which absorb large amounts of greenhouse gases, CO2.

The two-week summit in Glasgow is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control.

But how much can households help to contribute to the UK’s net zero goal and how much will it cost you?

From protecting your home from drafts to using eco-friendly scoops in your laundry, there are hundreds of things you can do to reduce your impact on the planet.

You can even collect freebies and discounts to do your part, including cosmetics when you recycle empty containers and cash on take-out drinks.

But one of the biggest issues facing households is the switch to electric cars and hydrogen boilers – which has become a huge topic of discussion. Under it, diesel cars will be banned by 2030 and gas boilers are not far behind.

So how much will it cost you and how can you reduce the impact on your wallet? We take a look below.

£ 5,000 in gas boiler grants

The Prime Minister has pledged to make greener life more affordable by offering households grants of £ 5,000 to trade in their old gas boilers for heat pumps.

The funding, which will be available from April 2022, is part of a £ 450million boiler upgrade program to help install low-carbon systems in millions of homes.

But there is a problem, it will be available on a first serve, first come basis, and only 90,000 grants will be available – only a tenth of the population will need it.

It’s also just a fraction of the 600,000 homes Boris Johnson has pledged to modernize by 2026.

Heat pumps – can cost up to £ 14,000 to install – but the Prime Minister has said they will cost the same to buy and operate as fossil fuel boilers by 2030, when a ban will come into force.

Boris Johnson said: “Our new grants will help homeowners make the switch sooner, without

Under this program, no one will be forced to remove their existing fossil-fueled heaters – not just yet, anyway.

Instead, households will be able to apply for financial assistance when they need a replacement.

The program will operate in England and Wales and will be administered by private companies who will install the heat pumps from next spring.

Until then, sales of gas boilers will continue until 2035 despite the looming climate targets. New builds will be forced to apply eco-alternatives a decade later than everyone else.

Estimates suggest that replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump could save owners of a four-bed house £ 1,300 a year on their heating bills, according to figures from Rated People.

However, low carbon heat pumps could add £ 5,000 to the cost of new construction, due to underfloor heating and larger radiators. This compares to a typical £ 1,000 boiler.

Heat pumps run on electricity. They work by using small amounts of electricity to collect heat from cold spaces, which is then released in warm areas.

They are classified as a sustainable energy source because they use natural heat and do not emit any greenhouse gases.

Hydrogen boilers, another popular idea, are still in the testing phase, but once fully developed they will run only on hydrogen gas or natural gas.

These boilers will not use carbon dioxide and can be made either from water using electricity as a renewable energy source, or from natural gas along with carbon capture and storage.

Get paid to trade in your gasoline or diesel car

The government subsidy for electric cars is provided by the Department of Transportation’s Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and is designed to make the transition to electric car (EV) ownership more affordable.

The incentives are in place to encourage people to switch as the large batteries involved in electric cars mean they are more expensive than gasoline and diesel equivalents.

The Electric Car Grant is often referred to as the Rechargeable Car Grant (IGCP). It is capped at £ 2,500 and is only available on new cars costing less than £ 35,000.

Grants for vans and electric motorcycles are also available. Buyers of small electric vans (under 2.5 tonnes) receive a subsidy of up to 35% of the list price, capped at £ 3,000.

For larger vans the cap is £ 6,000. Motorcycles and mopeds are also eligible, and the OZEV grant will pay 20% of the purchase price up to £ 1,500.

There are also government incentives regarding the cost of home charging stations. These grants are distributed by OZEV and are currently worth up to 75% of the cost of installing your home wallbox with a cap of £ 350.

Subsidies are not paid directly to consumers. The car dealership will usually reduce the price at the point of sale and then claim the rest from the Department of Transportation.

To give a few examples, the Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe and Peugeot e-208 each receive grants of £ 2,500.

Plug-in hybrids, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and the Mini Countryman PHEV are not eligible.

The grant can also be used to finance a car, which will lower your monthly payments.

What about car scrapping programs?

Car scrapping programs can help you lower the cost of switching to a cleaner, greener car.

In 2020, the government was due to announce a new government scrapping program – but that has since been ruled out.

Instead, drivers will have to respond on schematics from manufacturers, such as Ford and Kia.

Ford is offering up to £ 2,000 off a wide selection of models.

Your old car must have been registered before January 1, 2013 and you must have owned it for 90 days to be eligible for the program.

Currently, Vauxhall is offering up to £ 2,000 off the price of a new Vauxhall when drivers trade in their old car for scrapping.

You must have owned the car for over 90 years to be eligible.

MG has dubbed its program “swappage”. It guarantees a minimum partial trade-in of £ 1,500 on any petrol or diesel vehicle.

You must have owned the car for at least three months.

To be eligible for the Mazda program, your gasoline or diesel car must have been registered before December 31, 2011.

When redeemed, you will receive up to £ 4,000 off the price of a Mazda emitting less than 161g / km CO2.

Scrap cars must have been owned for at least 60 days.

Kia is offering £ 2,500 of select models. These currently include the Stonic, Picanto, Niro and Sportage.

To be eligible, your car must have been yours for at least three months and be older than 2012.

Kia accepts diesel and gasoline cars in its scrapping program.

If you are eligible for Hyundai’s Scrapping Program, you can get £ 300 to £ 4000 off a new Hyundai model.

Only cars registered before July 1, 2012 are eligible. You must have owned it for at least three months

Cars with Euro 1-3 standards will be scrapped, but those with a four and five can be exchanged.