Tory Climate Fails - the real reason Boris didn’t turn up to debate climate change

An update on an article I wrote back in summer....

Watching the climate debate with my little son last night I felt deeply depressed that the Party our current Prime Minister didn’t show up. The farcical scenes created by more clever Tory spin of Gove trying to enter the building at the 11th hour have depressed me further. Michael Gove should know better than to try to turn a serious climate debate into a tragic climate pantomime. 

But the reason that the Tories didn’t send Boris is simple. They do not have the track record nor the future policies to tackle this crisis. But fear not. I have taken the time to put together a quick explainer of the Tory track record with my

Top ten most embarrassing Tory climate policies. Ones which can just never be compatible with Net Zero emissions by 2050

1. #ClimateFail: Tory Government handing out new 30+ year licences to extract oil from North Sea later this year. But we just committed to net zero emissions within 30 years. When you are in a hole, stop digging.

2. #ClimateFail: The tax-payer is picking up the bill for subsidising fossil fuels including paying over half of the cost of decommissioning dirty oil and gas infrastructure in N Sea. Polluters should pay, not hard working tax-payers.

3. #ClimateFail: Tory Government placed an effective ban on new onshore wind - our cheapest form of energy whilst allowing fracking to go ahead. Ban fracking and get behind the real zero carbon energy technologies of the future.

4. #ClimateFail: Cumbria has just given the go ahead to build the first deep coal mine in the UK in 30 years. Tory government should have banned coal already. It is incompatible with a safe climate and an embarrassment at the Climate Negotiating Table. We need to ban the extraction and burning of coal for thermal use immediately and phase out the use for industrial processes without carbon capture and storage by 2030.

5. #ClimateFail: The Tories did away with Zero Carbon Homes legislation which would have seen all new homes be built carbon neutral from 2016. We must urgently bring back zero carbon homes and extend to zero carbon buildings for commercial and local authority use.

6. #ClimateFail: The Tories sold off the UKs Green Investment Bank, a key weapon in the fight to build a greener, cleaner UK. Bring it back, bigger and better!

7. #ClimateFail: The Tories announced a target of Net Zero Emissions imposed on UK’s direct emissions but has totally failed to act on the UK finance sector, which finances businesses responsible for 15% of global emissions. We need a Net Zero plan for Finance Sector ASAP.

8. #ClimateFail: The Tory government increased VAT on solar panels and batteries to 18% whilst keeping coal and gas rates at 5%. Not the actions of a government committed to fight #ClimateEmergency.

9. #ClimateFail: Peat bogs store 3 billion tonnes of carbon in UK and are a haven for rare birds and insects. The Tories still allow precious peat to be dug up and used for compost and pot plants in our supermarkets - destroying the climate and nature.

10. #ClimateFail: (you guessed it) Brexit! At a time when international collaboration is vital to the very survival of our civilisation, the Tories want to withdraw us from the world’s most progressive climate negotiating block.

So what’s the alternative?

Unequivocal and deeply concerning climate science have combined with passionate campaigners this year to give politicians the space to seize their last opportunity to avert climate catastrophe. We have the chance to inspire and unite people to take action for a cleaner, greener future together. This opportunity is squandered by electing the Tories at our peril.

We urgently need this democratic engagement on climate action. Because the reality is that its not all going to be plain sailing. For example in the constituency where I am running to be Lib Dem MP, North Swindon; the Honda diesel car factory is about to close, with the loss of thousands of jobs. We urgently require investment, supportive policy, retraining packages for left behind communities and workers to create a just transition from the old to the new economy. We need to give people hope and real options to prosper in the new green economy. 

What we don’t need is to create distraction and delay with the type of stunts we saw last night. These are real people’s jobs and real dangers for our kids future - they deserve real debate.

Katie Critchlow is the Lib Dem MP candidate for North Swindon. She was involved in developing the Liberal Democrat policy and climate manifesto pledges at the national level and has been in green business for 20 years. The Lib Dems ambitious, costed, realistic and fair policy to tackle climate emergency and build a thriving green economy can be found here under ‘green society and green economy’: https://www.libdems.org.uk/plan