Countries that set legally binding targets for net zero emissions face a conundrum. Meeting 2050 goals requires onerous targets. But phaseout dates for polluting technologies stimulate investment in replacements. Meddling with these dates risks the opposite.

Until this week, the UK’s car, heating and electricity industries had been investing to meet near-term phaseout targets for new petrol and diesel cars, and gas boilers.

Privately, there were doubts these could be achieved. Ministers had proposed a hard ban on the installation of new gas devices in all existing homes from 2035, for example. But the installation of electric heat pump alternatives is lagging far behind a government ambition of 600,000 a year. Last year’s tally was a mere 72,000.