Two members of the team (Sheila and Caroline) went to meet Robert at his constituency surgery on November 25th 2022. Their objective was to explore his views on climate and the environment. This is their report (and see Hugo’s from 2021: Climate Change 2021)

Robert didn’t address all our points, but where he did he was often at odds with scientific and economic facts.

He claimed to be “passionate about climate” but was averse to taking the action necessary to prevent damaging change. He said that it would harm the economy. This ignores the science, which shows that ‘business as usual’ – continuing as a fossil-fuel-based society - will harm economies (and civilised life) much, much more. It also ignores the science, which shows that moving to a green economy would provide a perfectly sound economy bursting with new jobs and long-term security. You can see the sort of science Robert should be reading listed below, in 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 10, 11

Robert demanded a “sound economy” and clearly thought this had to be a fossil-fuel-based one in what he called “the short term”. He called North Sea oil and gas licences “short-term investments” and necessary to a sound economy. These investments, though, will take anything up to a decade to reach production and have a productive life of many decades more. They’re lethal, long term ‘climate bombs’ in fact. (see 7 below.) Robert’s views ignore the science. They’re cakeism and motorway madness writ large. (See 7, 8, 9 & 11 for better ideas.)

Robert claimed that Britain’s responses to climate change are “world-beating”. And so they are – on paper. Our government has declared we are in a climate emergency. It has set a target of net zero emissions by 2050. It has even written this target into law.

All of this is world-beating, but there’s a ‘but’. We haven’t done anything like enough, and we’re not going to achieve these aspirations. We’re not on target to hit our targets. A majority of Brits already think the government is not doing enough and this is shown, scientifically, by our own cross-party Parliamentary Committee on Climate Change (see 3). It has even been proven in the High Court (see 4.)

It should be noted that Robert has signed a parliamentary motion which would overturn the ban on onshore wind turbines. This is the right way to go – onshore wind is cheap, can be productive within a year or two and is genuinely low-emission. Thanks for that, Robert. But please read the science and get with the climate emergency your own government has acknowledged. The truth is simple – we have to leave the fossil fuels where they are, underground, and get on with the future, which is already here and is renewable

Our references:

1. BBC October 21st 2021. Climate change will bring global tensions, US intelligence report says. BBC

2. Center for Strategic and International Studies. 26th October 2021. New national intelligence estimate on climate change underplays the role of food security.

3. Climate Change Committee. June 29th 2022. 2022 Progress Report to Parliament. Climate Change Comittee

4. Good Law Project. July 18th 2022. We won: Government’s net zero strategy is unlawful. Good Law Project

5. Guardian January 17th 2022. Fiona Harvey. Climate crisis could wipe 1% off UK economy by 2045, say ministers.

6. Guardian Feb 28th 2022. Damian Carrington. This climate crisis report asks: what is at stake? In short, everything.

7. Guardian May 11th 2022. Damian Carrington. Revealed: The ‘carbon bombs’ set to trigger catastrophic climate breakdown.

8. Guardian May 18th 2021. Fiona Harvey. No new oil, gas or coal development if world is to reach net zero by 2050, says world energy body.

9. International Energy Agency. May 2021. Net Zero by 2050 – analysis. IEA

10. LSE & Grantham Research Institute. May 30th 2022. What will climate change cost the UK?

11. LSE & Grantham Research Institute. June 7th Can we have economic growth and tackle climate change at the same time?

12. National Intelligence Council Estimate on Climate Change. October 21 st 2021. Climate change and international responses increasing challenges to US national security through 2040.

13. Twitter April 1 st 2021. Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General. “Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing us.” Twitter

14. The Oil Machine. Oil