04 September 2023 , 17:41
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TV conservationist Chris Packham has led more than 100 scientists in a protest outside Parliament as Rishi Sunak's green credentials crumble.
The presenter said experts must "shout the truth" about "climate breakdown" following the PM's decision to "max out" oil in the North Sea. Mr Sunak has come under fire after approving more than 100 new drilling licences, while Tory malcontents are calling on him to ditch Net Zero commitments.
The group gathered outside the Houses of Parliament to greet MPs and demand that they stop sanctioning future licences for oil and gas. They held signs that read "The science is clear, no new oil", and "100 licences to kill".
In a statement, Mr Packham said: "Sadly, telling the truth has not been enough, it's now become necessary for scientists to shout the truth about climate breakdown. All we ask is that that our principal decision-makers listen before the screaming starts."
Furious scientists made their feelings known (ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)The protest was held was in response to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's announcement to "max out" North Sea oil and gas production through approval of more than 100 new drilling licences, he added.
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Professor Jeff Waage, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said fossil fuel extraction must be stopped before humanity faces "catastrophic consequences". "The process by which rational science informs political decision making has broken down in this Government," he said.
"The extreme weather events that we are seeing around the world validate the predictions of climate modelling. That science also tells us that we must stop fossil fuel extraction now or face catastrophic consequences for humanity."
During Mr Sunak's leadership campaign last summer - which he lost to 49-day disaster PM Liz Truss - he was keen to present himself as a champion for green issues. But more than a year down the line and it's all up in the air.
Things aren't good when the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) takes shots at your Government. The charity last week posted a picture of the PM, Michael Gove and Therese Coffey, branding them 'liars' for not sticking to environmental pledges. That came after ministers announced pollution regulations were being relaxed for new housing developments.
While he was on holiday this summer a group of Greenpeace activists scaled the walls of the PM's Yorkshire mansion in protest over North Sea drilling. And Tory in-fighting over climate targets has escalated, with ex-Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel - an ally of former PM Boris Johnson - leading calls for Net Zero targets to be "paused".
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