Climate change is real, and man made

The Kent County Council meeting today discussed, and very sadly passed, an administration motion on rescinding the previous Council's declaration of a climate emergency.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0jq4l8dpxlo

Not all those that wanted to speak in this debate got called, as they are time limited to 45 minutes, and speeches limited to 3 minutes, meaning 15 speakers is about the max and I didn't get called but spoke earlier in the day. If I had been called, this was what I would have said:

"There are perfectly reasonable discussions to have on Climate Change and Net Zero. While we may not agree, it is reasonable to have different opinions on what to do about it.

"This is, sadly, not such a discussion.

"Instead this motion invites us to be sceptical of human made climate change.

"That’s not worthy of the movers, or this Council. It should not stand on the record.

"Nearly all actively publishing climate scientists say humans are causing climate change.

"A 2019 review of scientific papers found the consensus on the cause of climate change to be at 100%, and a 2021 study concluded that over 99% of scientific papers agree on the human cause of climate change.

"To stand in the face of the evidence is simply disreputable. You can't debate facts.

"Climate change is real, and man made.

"You don't need a debate on what the weather is today.

"You just need to find a window and look out of it. You don't need to debate if climate change is real and man made. You just need to look at the overwhelming evidence of scientists.

"So lets debate why we should act.

"Climate Change is going to cause all of us to adapt, react and change.

"It is going to get wetter on our wettest days, hotter on our hottest. We’re going to have more flood, and more drought.

"And no, on our own, we can’t stop it. No-one, on their own, can.

"But we should move our actions towards net zero not just to show we understand the problem.

"We should do it because it’s the right thing to do, and the best value one too.

"Oscar Wilde said that a cynic knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing. And the Reform approach is nothing but cynical.

"Looking to the saving of not doing something is just looking at one side of the balance sheet.

"You need to look at the opportunity cost of not making that investment.

"Insulating buildings means you spend less on heating in the long term. You spend now in order to save much more long term.

"Generating your own power gives you an income for years. You spend now in order to save much more long term.

"Moving to an electric car fleet when you are generating your own electricity free of charge to power them saves you fortunes. You spend now in order to save much more long term.

"Not only SHOULD we afford to invest, we can’t afford not to.

"We reject this motion not just for the message it sends, but for the long term financial harm it does to this county.

"Kent is spending less than peanuts on “net zero” schemes that don’t have a reasonable payback period.

"The schemes that have been brought forward almost all have a business case. A repayment period. They save more in the long term than they cost.

"The last administration weren't laden with cash and a desire to spend it on schemes they didn't have to. What were brought forward were long term investments that made financial sense. It seems some Conservatives think Roger Gough was a financially incoherent tree-hugger, but that’s really not the way he worked.

“Vote against this motion. It shouldn’t stand it our name.”