A number of prominent scientists have warned politicians, business and community leaders that the UK faces serious climate risks to its economy, public health, food systems and national security.
More than 1,000 corporate executives, senior civil servants and community leaders were due to gather at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster for a “first-of-its-kind national emergency briefing” on Thursday morning, organizers said.
“This event is about resetting the national dialogue, especially in the face of growing misinformation,” said Professor Mike Berners-Lee, a climate writer and carbon footprint pioneer, introducing the talks.
Nine experts gave a stark assessment of the scale of changes needed to adapt the country to a rapidly changing climate and environmental situation and potentially avoid the worst potential consequences.
Speaking on climate, Kevin Anderson, Professor of Energy and Climate Change at the Universities of Manchester, Uppsala and Bergen, said: “The choice is between deep, rapid and equitable decarbonisation of modern society and orchestrated technical and social revolution; or continued rhetoric and delays as temperatures rise.” [rise]. And then we will face a revolutionary change of style that will be both chaotic and cruel.”
On nature, Natalie Seddon, professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford, said: “We are facing a national emergency not just because the climate is changing, but because the living systems that protect the climate are collapsing.”
She added: “This is not a choice between the economy and the environment. It is about recognizing that the economy is embedded in the environment and that the health of the nation depends on the living systems that support us.“
Tim Lenton, director of the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter, said collapse of the Atlantic Meridian Overturn Current (Amoc) As a result, London will freeze at -20C in winter, “and yet summers will be hotter than today”, leading to a situation where the UK will be 100% reliant on food imports. “We must do everything we can to limit the time we spend above 1.5C. [above preindustrial temperatures]said Lenton.
Mark Rylance was among the prominent figures present at the briefing. Inequality is a core part of the climate problem, the actor told the Guardian. Echoing Anderson, he said: “The cost of living crisis is actually an inequality crisis. They go hand in hand. We have such an unequal society. And that is a contributing factor to the climate crisis.”
“I'm a very rich man and I need to do more about it. We need to do more about our collective addiction.”
He accused billionaires of climate finance, denying misinformation. “They do this because they don't want people to act collectively, they want people to feel powerless. They should manage their money better.”
Richard Nugee, a retired general, said policymakers focused on the threat from Russia are missing the larger threat of the climate crisis. “Climate change is going to be a bigger problem than Russia,” he said. “This is an insidious threat that has crept up. It will do more damage than the threats they are focused on now. But all they see is a resurgent Russia.”
He said policymakers needed to ensure the UK could cope with more severe weather conditions, which were already evident and would worsen. The lack of action to ensure the resilience of critical infrastructure left the country vulnerable to extreme weather conditions and open to attack by enemies who might notice this weakness.
“Because I've spent most of my life fighting, I need to believe that this country is strong. The last thing I want to see is this country going to war. But we're not providing enough of a deterrent because we're not resilient enough.” [to the impacts of the climate crisis]- Naji said.
