'MPs Need to Listen to the Scientists, Not the Oligarchs' - Scientists Sound the Climate Alarm at Westminster
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On 13 May, a day that the temperature in London - according to Climate Central's Climate Shift Index - was 5.5°C hotter than normal, more than 150 scientists gathered in Westminster to urge MPs to stop ignoring science and instead deliver evidence-based policies to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
The action was spearheaded by wildlife TV presenter and campaigner Chris Packham who was joined by climate scientists, engineers and ecologists from all over the UK .
Packham fears that science is "not getting the ear that it needs in Parliament" and accused the Government of not making the best-informed decisions based on the science.
"There are a lot of good ministers in the cabinet at the moment but they're not being given the leadership and they're not being given the funding or resources that they need. I don't think there's any ambiguity about that," he said.
When we look at what we need to do about fossil fuels, what we need to do about food, what we need to do about biodiversity, they're not sending out any of the signals that they're going to act upon that in the right way, or rapidly enough or broadly enough.
Chris Packham, campaigner
Former Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King, accused the political system of failing the electorate and described the current trajectory as a form of "global suicide".
King said there was an urgent need to bridge the gap between science, policy, and public understanding and highlighted the wealth of public support for climate action - over 89% globally. He added that politicians are disconnected and remain captive to vested interests and short-term political ends.
"We are destroying our ecosystems, and we are destroying ourselves in the process. Politicians need to listen to the scientists and stop listening to the oligarchs," King explained.
A case in point is the Labour Party's proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
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Environmental groups and conservationists slam the Government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill
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Green MP Dr Ellie Chowns is adamant that politicians "have absolutely got to pay attention to science" and warned that environmental protections would be dismantled if the proposed Bill is passed in its current form.
Although the Government claims its plans to speed up the planning system won't reduce safeguards for nature, Chowns, who sits on the committee currently considering the Bill, and her Green-Party colleagues, have "serious concerns".
The Bill, she explained, shifts the approach from one that requires thorough ecological surveys and damage avoidance, to one that skips straight to "offsetting" payments often without even knowing what is being destroyed or harmed.
"Science has to underpin the politics of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill," she said.
Packham has also condemned the Bill for undermining the Habitats Directive, a crucial piece of environmental law, and his legal team at Wild Justice has initiated a judicial review to challenge it.
Angela [Raynor] said that basically the Bill as it stands, won't harm wildlife. Well, legally, we've looked at it and it will harm wildlife. So we need Angela to go back to the House of Commons and tell the truth about that. Before that bill is voted on
Chris Packham, campaigner
Simon Oldridge, science adviser for Zero Hour, says policymakers should base climate decisions on science, not short-term political agendas. "It's time we stopped letting politics override what the science tells us must be done," he said.
Oldridge criticized the UK Go...
To support its work, subscribe to the monthly Byline Times print edition, packed with exclusive investigations, news, and analysis.
Help us build the better media Britain deserves
On 13 May, a day that the temperature in London - according to Climate Central's Climate Shift Index - was 5.5°C hotter than normal, more than 150 scientists gathered in Westminster to urge MPs to stop ignoring science and instead deliver evidence-based policies to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss.
The action was spearheaded by wildlife TV presenter and campaigner Chris Packham who was joined by climate scientists, engineers and ecologists from all over the UK .
Packham fears that science is "not getting the ear that it needs in Parliament" and accused the Government of not making the best-informed decisions based on the science.
"There are a lot of good ministers in the cabinet at the moment but they're not being given the leadership and they're not being given the funding or resources that they need. I don't think there's any ambiguity about that," he said.
When we look at what we need to do about fossil fuels, what we need to do about food, what we need to do about biodiversity, they're not sending out any of the signals that they're going to act upon that in the right way, or rapidly enough or broadly enough.
Chris Packham, campaigner
Former Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir David King, accused the political system of failing the electorate and described the current trajectory as a form of "global suicide".
King said there was an urgent need to bridge the gap between science, policy, and public understanding and highlighted the wealth of public support for climate action - over 89% globally. He added that politicians are disconnected and remain captive to vested interests and short-term political ends.
"We are destroying our ecosystems, and we are destroying ourselves in the process. Politicians need to listen to the scientists and stop listening to the oligarchs," King explained.
A case in point is the Labour Party's proposed Planning and Infrastructure Bill.
The Government's Housing Bill Branded a 'Licence To Kill' Protected Species for Property Developers
Environmental groups and conservationists slam the Government's Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Stuart Spray
Green MP Dr Ellie Chowns is adamant that politicians "have absolutely got to pay attention to science" and warned that environmental protections would be dismantled if the proposed Bill is passed in its current form.
Although the Government claims its plans to speed up the planning system won't reduce safeguards for nature, Chowns, who sits on the committee currently considering the Bill, and her Green-Party colleagues, have "serious concerns".
The Bill, she explained, shifts the approach from one that requires thorough ecological surveys and damage avoidance, to one that skips straight to "offsetting" payments often without even knowing what is being destroyed or harmed.
"Science has to underpin the politics of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill," she said.
Packham has also condemned the Bill for undermining the Habitats Directive, a crucial piece of environmental law, and his legal team at Wild Justice has initiated a judicial review to challenge it.
Angela [Raynor] said that basically the Bill as it stands, won't harm wildlife. Well, legally, we've looked at it and it will harm wildlife. So we need Angela to go back to the House of Commons and tell the truth about that. Before that bill is voted on
Chris Packham, campaigner
Simon Oldridge, science adviser for Zero Hour, says policymakers should base climate decisions on science, not short-term political agendas. "It's time we stopped letting politics override what the science tells us must be done," he said.
Oldridge criticized the UK Go...
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