Boris Johnson’s environmental plan to make the UK net zero has been called virtue signalling gesture politics by one of his own backbenchers.
The outspoken rightwinger Philip Davies made this comment in a letter he wrote to one of his constituents from Yorkshire this week, just before the Cop26 UN Summit in Glasgow.
Yesterday Mr Johnson said that he was concerned that the major international conference on climate change, which he will host beginning Sunday, might not be able to make the necessary progress.
The PM has made several green announcements over the past weeks and months with the goal of making the UK zero in carbon emissions by 2050.
But in the letter sent last week Shipley MP Mr Davies said the pledge ‘would make no difference at all to global temperatures – particularly when countries like China, India and emerging economies in Africa are going to be increasing their carbon emissions each year by more than our entire total’.
He added: ‘Such action would be utterly futile, virtue signalling gesture politics which would also bankrupt the country along with many families.’
The comment was made by serial rebel Philip Davies in a letter to a Yorkshire constituent this week, before the Cop26 UN summit in Glasgow.
Yesterday Mr Johnson said that he was concerned that the major international conference on climate change, which he will host beginning Sunday, might not be able to make the necessary progress.
Shipley MP Davies stated that the pledge would not make any difference to global temperatures in a letter he sent last week. This is especially true when countries such as China, India, and emerging economies from Africa will be increasing their carbon emissions each day by more than our total.
In a letter first published by Yorkshire Live, Mr Davies stated that “That is money the country can ill afford” and that the actions of other countries would make it futile.
“It would make more sense to spend money adapting to climate change than on unrealistic expectations that we are going the the world’s climate.
“That climate change is not going to happen” – anyone who thinks that every country will take these measures is in cloud cuckoo land.
According to Mr Davies, “A lot of my constituents would agree with what I’ve said.”
The Prime Minister will be welcoming world leaders to Glasgow for United Nations Cop26 Summit, but it is ‘touch and see’ if key goals will be achieved.
He said, “We need as many people to go to net-zero so that they don’t produce too carbon dioxide by the middle century.”
Mr. Davies is married to Esther McVey, a Tory MP.
“Now, it is possible. This summit will be very, very difficult.
“And I’m very afraid, because it might fail and we might lose the agreements we need. It’s just a matter of time.
Johnson stated that peer pressure at the UN summit could lead to some nations taking action.
But, with some world leaders like China’s Xi Jinping likely to stay away because of the state coronavirus pandemic, there are limited chances that this tactic will be a success.
Johnson acknowledged that ‘it’s very difficult to know if we will make the progress we need’, but he did praise Australia for its ‘heroic’ decision to commit itself to net zero by 2050.
Downing Street stated that Johnson was presenting a realistic picture of Cop26’s chances of success.