Overlooking the threats to humanity

Liz Finlayson, Colleton Row, Exeter.

Have we already gone insane as a species? We have the gravest threats to humanity ever posed sitting on our doorstep. Scientists have been warning us of climate breakdown, in ever increasing intensity for decades. We have the evidence of our own eyes of increased flooding, wildfires, heatwaves.

Threats to food security become ever greater. Insurance companies are pulling back from insuring against anything climate related. People everywhere are increasingly scared. Opinion polls say overwhelmingly they want political leaders to act.

And yet what do these leaders do to our beloved UK? They undermine international commitments to ‘phase out’ fossil fuels or even ‘transition away’ and ignore expert scientific advice. They do the opposite of what’s needed by issuing new oil and gas licences, opening new coal mines and now a new round of gas power stations – all locking us into more decades of dependence.

They tell blatant lies about enhancing energy security and lowering energy costs for consumers. They claim to be world leading while reversing previous worldleading policy.

They allow companies like Shell and BP to make astronomical levels of profit from artificially high prices (caused by global factors) and introduce a windfall tax full of loopholes.

They distract by focusing on insane schemes like Rwanda. They allow the far right wing of the Conservative

Party to dominate policy – the same people who crashed the economy under PM Truss, who want to cancel net zero, and who tell us Brexit was a success.

This Government is hideous. The longer they run scared of a General Election the more that becomes apparent.