Following a debate at Worcestershire County Council about the science of climate change, it was revealed that not a single reform councillor could support the statement that “man-made climate change exists.”
Due to a lack of time, I was unable to participate in the debate; therefore, I have included my prepared speech below. To summarise, when it comes to climate science, Reform are ignorant, conspiracy theorists in the pocket of big oil.
I’m very pleased that we get another chance to discuss climate change. It is the biggest long-term threat that we all face.
As we witnessed at the last council meeting, when I was heckled for stating that climate science is true, we have many Reform members who openly reject climate science.
This is deeply troubling.
Climate change will trigger the biggest refugee crisis in the history of humanity, with 1.2 billion people projected to be displaced by 2050 – mainly from the Global South to the Global North.
This doesn’t sit well with Reform’s anti-immigration stance.
The scientific definition of climate change
It has been over 200 years since the existence of the “greenhouse effect” was first proposed. Since then, considerable research has been conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the climate.
Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet, causing climate change. Human activities have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content by 50% in less than 200 years.
Global warming is real and human-caused. It is leading to large-scale climate change. More than 99% of climate scientists say this.
So why do so many Reform politicians reject the scientific evidence? I can see three possible reasons:
- They are ignorant of the science
- They are conspiracy theorists
- They are the Political Arm of the Fossil Fuel Industry, where the party gets most of its funding
1 Ignorant of the science
It is impossible to claim that the Earth is not warming. The past ten years are the ten warmest years on record. 2025 is on track to be the second or third warmest year on record.
So, how can some people remain unaware of climate change? If you are struggling with the cost of living, your health, etc., worrying about climate change may not be a high priority.
However, as a councillor, you have a duty to understand the impact that a warming climate will have on our county, our country and the wider world.
There is a simple solution for those who are ignorant: education. Climate literacy training is available.
2 Conspiracy theorists
If you are aware of climate science but still reject it, maybe it is because you are a conspiracy theorist.
Many members of Reform across the country have openly espoused conspiracy theories about COVID-19, vaccines, chemtrails, climate change, etc. I’m sure there are others that I may have missed!
The Reform Party conference had an anti-vaxx conspiracy theorist spouting nonsense about Covid jabs causing cancer amongst the Royal family.
Having a political party with policies based on conspiracy theories is not funny; it is incredibly dangerous. We have seen the damage that anti-vaxxers have caused by undermining the science. The same is true for action on climate change.
However, how do you argue with a conspiracist?
“Arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon; no matter how good you are, the bird is going to poop on the board and strut around as if it won.”
The same is true for arguing with conspiracy theorists.
3 The Political Arm of the Fossil Fuel Industry
The third reason, and the one that I think is the main reason behind Reform UK’s attack on climate science and net zero, is that Reform is the Political Arm of the Fossil Fuel Industry.
Between December 2019 and June 2024, Reform received more than £2.3m from oil and gas interests, polluting industries and climate deniers.
Many of Reform’s financial backers could profit significantly from Reform’s anti-climate policies if the party seized power.
Reform wants to cancel net zero because that’s in the interests of its polluter paymasters.
Reform doesn’t care about the impact of climate change on the poorest and least responsible across the planet.
Rather, Reform is in the pocket of the big oil and gas corporations.
To misquote the old saying: “You don’t have to be a climate change denier to be a Reform politician, but it helps.”
Finally…
Climate change is happening, and human activities are the main cause.
Reducing our emissions as fast as possible is what the science tells us needs to be done.
You cannot claim to understand climate science while rejecting the solutions.