World leaders must act as ‘ringmasters’ to steer the world’s economy away from fossil fuels to tackle the supposedly impending catastrophe of climate change, the United Nations’ top climate scientist has said.
Professor Jim Skea, who was recently appointed chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN’s top body on climate change science, said political leaders must act as “ringmasters or ringmistresses” to usher in globalism. green agenda and forcing people away from a fossil fuel based economy.
Addressing London evening standard newspaper, Skea said climate needs a “society-wide” effort, but said “political leaders have a special responsibility because they set the tone for all of this… They are the kind of masters of the ring or mistresses of the ring who try to coordinate the different Actions.”
On what he expects from citizens, the climate chief said that “continuing to vote… is the key issue”, arguing that some sections of citizens have been more radical in their demands for emissions cuts than their own. governments. While he acknowledged that climate extremist groups like Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion could be “alienating” to some more moderate voters, Skea said they had succeeded in “keeping the issue of fossil fuels on the agenda. “.
The British academic, who is a professor of sustainable energy at Imperial College London, went on to say political action is more important than ever, saying global warming could be accelerating faster than predicted.
“Climate change is happening. You can see it on your TV screens, you can even see it looking out the window, deciding what clothes you should wear when you go out. This was all planned, but maybe it’s happening faster than expected. »
Tell us it’s a doomsday doomsday cult without telling us it’s a doomsday doomsday cult. #Climate crisis pic.twitter.com/ynxCjXkuyZ
— Calvin Robinson (@calvinrobinson) August 8, 2023
In terms of specific actions the UN scientist hopes to see happen, Prof Skea said governments should commit to the IPCC’s plans to commit to leaving 50% of oil reserves underground .
“If you keep adding to those reserves, it adds to the amount of oil you need to leave in the ground – if you want to meet the Paris goals (historic 2015 climate summit),” he explained. .
“Of course we can add to the reserves now for energy security reasons. But that means someone in the future will have to make the choice. Do we leave this oil in the ground? Or do we meet our Parisian targets? Climate change is a chronic disease of the planet…so the decisions we make now really have consequences for the future.
The climate chief then demanded that political leaders “stick” to commitments to move away from “sticking” to the switch from petrol and diesel to electric cars.
The demands come amid a growing backlash against the green agenda in Britain, with its conservative ‘small c’ base pressuring Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reverse some of the party’s net zero commitments . Mr Sunak has opened up hundreds of new licenses for companies to drill for oil and gas in the North Sea, but his government has so far maintained its stance against fracking. It also appears that the neoliberal government intends to deliver on the neoliberal conservative party’s pledge to move away from conventional cars and power generation.
While Mr Sunak has tried to back away from the green agenda, others in Britain have embraced the UN scientist’s dire climate warnings, along with far-left London Mayor Sadiq Khan. to announce in response to the interview: “Our planet is on fire. We can be the generation of leaders who truly understand the enormity of the task, or procrastinate and delay until it’s too late.
To fear. To be very, very afraid. https://t.co/pY8oH7Y1yj
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