Packham slates politicians

Response to crisis ‘embarrassing’

TV presenter and naturalist Chris Packham has criticised politicians for their “embarrassing” response to the plastics crisis.

The issue of plastic pollution caused a public outcry after Blue Planet II, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

Now Springwatch star Packham, 56, has written that he “nearly wept” at the government’s plan to improve the environment.

“They are not going to fix things. Recently, our government published its 25-year plan for the environment. God help us. Words, most of the important ones missing, and target dates set so long into the future I nearly wept. And to think we paid for it too,” he added.

“It is frankly embarrassing that so many of us realise the gravity of the environmental crisis and yet our elected representatives are almost invariably, there are exceptions, not engaging at all.”

Packham said it was “down to us” to tackle the issue, adding: “It is about do-it-yourself. He said of politicians: “None even want to acknowledge that the single most dangerous

“Target dates set so far in the future that I nearly wept”

threat to our planet is that there are too many humans on it. Too difficult, not a vote winner”.

The government earmarked a £61.4million war chest to fight the rising tide of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans earlier this month.

And it published its 25year plan on the environment in January.

CRISIS: Chris Packam says most politicians fail to recognise the gravity of the environmental crisis