Following some of the worst weather experienced in the UK for a century, Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, has raised concerns that the UK Environment Minister – “climate change denier Owen Patterson – may not be the right person for the job”.
Despite the Prime Minister telling MPs in January there were more “abnormal” weather events occurring both at home and abroad, and that he “suspected” they were linked to climate change, the Environment Secretary Owen Patterson has argued that climate change is a natural act that may actually be good for the UK.
Owen Patterson has refused to take a briefing offered to him by Professor David MacKay, the chief scientific adviser at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), leading Mrs Evans to ask the Welsh Minister for Natural Resources, Alun Davies, “what hope is there at Westminster when there is a climate change denier at the helm?”
A recent EuroBarometer survey – a bi-annual public opinion survey in all member states of the European Union on behalf of the European Commission – showed that more than half of people in the UK think that tackling climate change is mainly the responsibility of Member State Governments.
During questions to the Minister, Mrs Evans asked “how is the Welsh Government working to engage people with tackling climate change at an individual level by changing behaviours and attitudes?”
The Minister responded: “Our annual report shows that good progress has made addressing climate change, but that further action is needed. I have committed to a policy refresh to focus on practical action that we can all take to tackle the causes and consequences of climate change to increase the resilience and prosperity of Wales.
“One of the reasons why the Welsh Government undertakes a great deal of work and investment in programmes like the eco-Schools programme is to engender that idea of citizenship and the idea that we, as people, can make changes that will have an impact on a global and world-wide scale. That is a very empowering thing to do, and it is what we will continue to invest in.
“In terms of empowerment, one of the innovative things that this Government is doing, and where it is being a leader internationally, is with the future generations Bill. The national conversation that was launched by the Minister for Communities last month is seeking to engage people across the whole of Wales in what we can do to deliver sustainability in our communities and in our lives.”
Responding to Mrs Evans’ statement about Owen Patterson’s attitude to climate change, the Minister added: “I think that the consequences are very difficult when you have UK Ministers who deny the obvious and deny the reality of what is happening in the world today. Then again, the Conservatives have never been particularly in touch with reality.”
Mrs Evans added: “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our planet.
“The most recent Europe-wide survey confirms that 9 in 10 Europeans also consider climate change to be a serious problem. This is backed up by a strong consensus in the scientific community that climate change is very real.
“If the UK Government is going to play its part, the Secretary of State needs to take a look at the evidence, listen to the experts, and rethink his stance.”
