Conservative climate scepticism undermines Cameron’s message

In an interview in today’s Guardian, David Cameron again attempts to set out his green credentials. But new revelations once again underline the true feelings of Conservatives on climate change.`

David Cameron faces a serious revolt on climate change In today’s Guardian, Cameron says:

“The political declaration agreed at Copenhagen must not allow warming to go above 2C, it must include a proper mechanism for funding adaptation for poorest countries, and it has got to have a proper policy to protect rainforests.”

But Liberal Conspiracy reveals today that two of Camerons’ confidants, Oliver Letwin and Iain Duncan Smith, sit on the advisory body of The European Foundation, which yesterday published a farcical report outlining “100 reasons why climate change is natural and not man-made.” This was covered by the Daily Express among others.

Speaking on the Week in Westminster on Saturday, Tim Montgomerie of Conservative Home said:

“In terms of issues that I know if I post on on Conservative Home that I’ll get lots of comments and very excited comments, [climate change] is right their at the top in terms of worrying about the implications of a Conservative government pursuing this agenda in a very dramatic way.”

The revelations about the links between the European Foundation report and Cameron’s confidants comes on the back of:

- Left Foot Forward‘s revelations about the links of climate sceptic Conservative grandees, Peter Lilley and Lord Nigel Lawson, with oil companies;

- Former Shadow Home Secretary David Davis (incidentally also on the European Foundation’s advisory board) writing that in the Independent that, “The planet appears to have been cooling, not warming, in the last decade” despite the fact that the last decade is the warmest in recorded history.

- Next Left‘s expose that none of the top 10 Conservative blogs believe in the existence of man-made climate change;

- The rejection of the Conservative party’s policy on Copenhagen by allies in the new European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) grouping including Roger Helmer MEP and Daniel Hannan MEP; and

- Concerns from senior Green MEPs about David Cameron’s links with politicians who deny the existence of man-made climate change.

UPDATE 12.11

Harriet Harman, stepping in for Gordon Brown at PMQs, mentions in the involvement of 11 of William Hague’s colleagues with the European Foundation report.

http://twitter.com/rantersparadise/status/6727858415 irene rukerebuka

RT @leftfootfwd New revelations from @libcon underline how Cameron will struggle to achieve his aims on climate change http://bit.ly/5ua7mT
http://twitter.com/damienff/status/6727997513 damienff

RT @leftfootfwd: New revelations from @libcon underline how Cameron will struggle to achieve his aims on climate change http://bit.ly/5ua7mT
http://billyblofeld.blogspot.com/ Billy Blofeld

I’m not sure it’ll matter that much. The public seem to have rumbled that the most of the green bandwagon is a con. Look after the planet by all means, but don’t use it to force something similar to the Lisbon Treaty on the entire world.

Anyhow – there is no need to worry it looks like Gordon intend to outlaw extreme weather!!
Josh

Shell Oil Company sponsors the Guardian’s environmental pages and some conferences
http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange2007

I am not paid by ‘big oil’ (as opposed to small oil?) to pontificate on my views. I do it because I believe in sound scientific evidence. All the evidence points to mass manipulation of data by the global cooling deniers (such as Michael Mann omitting 34 pieces of tree ring data when composing his hockey stick graph) and the CRU emails. I accept Professor Ian Plimer is guilty of this aswell (as a cursory scan through his book will reveal) but sceptics aren’t guilty of trying to initiate a new world order of one world government.

We need a Friedrich Hayek or Milton Friedman figure to spearhead to global resistance against one world socialism.
Anon E Mouse

Will – I’m not sure how much of a revelation the Lawson bit is, he is after all involved here: http://www.thegwpf.org/

Regarding dissent as you see it in the Tory Party, you seem to think your view is in the majority in the UK – it isn’t, you hold the minority opinion on this matter and in any event why do Labour supporters all just want a party of robots who can’t think for themselves?

I voted Blair for PM every time he stood at election but if I’d have known how his cabal of thugs and bullies operated against actual Labour MP’s and news hacks I would never have done that.

Like I’ve said elsewhere in this blog, for Gordon Brown to call people who don’t share his minority opinion “deniers” and “flat earthers” is crassness of the highest order and can only possibly cost him votes – it’s a foolish move.

What kind of politician would do that? A stupid one and one that will never be elected to the position of PM – not that he ever was.

I think it’s healthy that Cameron can’t stifle debate like Brown does but that’s perhaps because he doesn’t throw Nokia mobile phones at them!
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[...] help the poor outnumbered those who suppported it by 23 per cent – highlighting once more the gap between David Cameron’s rhetoric and the denial, scepticism and downright selfishness of his [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2009/12/tory-researcher-caught-peddling-climate-denial-propaganda/ Tory researcher caught peddling climate denial propaganda | Left Foot Forward

[...] Left Foot Forward listed previous instances of Conservative climate deniers, who include David Davis, Lord Lawson and Peter [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2009/12/100-reasons-why-vote-blue-go-green-wont-work/ 100 reasons why “vote blue, go green” won’t work | Left Foot Forward

[...] Montgomerie of Conservative Home told the Week in Westminster, “In terms of issues that I know if I post on on Conservative Home that [...]