In the week a UN study warned of dire consequences for the planet, predicting a 6-deg. rise in the Earth's temperature, Tory climate-sceptics gather in Europe.
Conservative MEP Roger Helmer is today hosting a “climate sceptics’ conference” in Brussels. The news once again undermines David Cameron’s claims to that the electorate can “Vote Blue, Go Green“.
James Delingpole, wrote yesterday on his Telegraph blog, that:
“Today I’m off on the Eurostar to Brussels (”a carbon neutral journey” it boasts on my ticket – which rather makes me wish I were flying instead) to speak at the European Parliament on Climate Change.
“No, don’t worry. The Goreistas haven’t got to me. It’s a sceptics’ conference – Have Humans Changed Climate? – being staged tomorrow by Tory MEP Roger Helmer. Many of my science and eco-heroes will be there, including Patrick Moore (the co-founder of Greenpeace who subsequently bailed when the charity turned far too red), Prof Fred Singer (who’ll be talking on Can We Trust The IPCC?) and Professor Ross McKitrick (who famously helped expose the notorious Hockey Stick curve).”
Sessions at the conference include “Why can’t we trust IPCC?”, “How the Sun and its solar winds affects our climate” and “Media Bias, Climate Alarmism and the Rise of the New Media.”
In his “Straight Talking – September 2009” newsletter, Helmer writes:
“Far too often there is an assumption that everyone is in agreement on the climate change issue; I am pleased to be able to go some way to demonstrating that that is simply not so. I shall keep you posted on the event.”
The climate sceptics conference comes in the same week as the warnings from the UN’s Global Carbon Project study of a six-degree rise in the Earth’s temperature this century, which could lead to a climate not seen for 100 million years, extinctising almost all life and reducing humanity to a few struggling groups living near the poles
This statement will, no doubt, concern David Cameron who said in his conference speech, “The dangers of climate change are stark and very real. If we don’t act now, and act quickly, we could face disaster.”
The conference comes on the back of news this morning that shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley, has campaigned against a wind farm close to his Cambridgeshire South constituency on the spurious grounds of noise pollution.
Minister of State for Energy, Joan Ruddock told Left Foot Forward:
“While serious politicians wrestle with getting a deal to tackle climate change in Copenhagen, David Cameron lets one of his MEPs convene a meeting of climate change sceptics. It shows how two-faced the Tories really are on climate issues. The Tories are out of step with the science and the politics and would put all our efforts to tackle climate change at risk.”
UPDATE 4:25
Speaking from Beijing, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has just said:
“Who are the real Tories? David Cameron may talk green but the Tories either deny climate change is happening or don’t want to deal with it. Cameron lets one of his MEPs get a motley crew of sceptics together while one of his key allies Andrew Lansley says in Not In My Constituency about wind power.
“The world has only a few weeks to get a deal at Copenhagen to tackle Climate change and the Tories are turning their backs on the truth. Here in Beijing the Chinese understand the challenge of climate change and want to tackle it.
“The Tories would leave us left behind not just in Europe on this but across the world.”
UPDATE 10.08 19/11
Political Scrapbook reveal that “Star of Tory climate change conference [Fred Singer] was paid to deny effects of passive smoking”.
Other speakers include Ross McKitrick, a libertarian with a track record of broader anti-environmentalism; Fred Goldberg, an expert in welding technology who claims that polar bears are increasing in number; and Benny Peiser, a social anthropologist who has only published three research papers in peer-reviewed journals, none on human-induced climate change.
38 Responses to “Tory MEP hosts “climate sceptics'” conference”
Anon E Mouse
Mehdi – scientific consensus only by those on the IPCC payroll. Everything is speculative – there is no evidence that man made CO2 causes global warming.
If you are so sure that climate change is man made why not let open debate take place?
Next you will be saying the moon landings were faked!
No one reads the Guardian anyway.
PhilC
The Orator: only when I talk about Arsenal.
Richard Blogger
Isn’t it good that the deniers have their conferences? They are talking to fellow deniers so it’s not as if their nonsense will influence anyone else.
On the plus side these conferences smokes ’em out so we can see who the deniers are.
Liberal Conspiracy » Tory MEP hosts ‘climate sceptics’ conference
[…] Left Foot Forward blog, which highlighted the conference, adds: The climate sceptics conference comes in the same […]
Anon E Mouse
Richard Blogger – when did it become a crime to hold an opinion that’s different to yours?
Talk about control freak attitudes guys – I thought this was a blog for progressives.
There is a lot of scientific opinion that man made CO2 causes global warming and not a single iota of proof.
When Maggie Thatcher invented this phenomenon she should have considered its consequences and not used it just to smash the unions.