It looks like Ian Cresswell might be the latest in the ever-growing list of Reform’s collection of councillors, and other hangers-on who hold more power than they deserve, who don’t believe in the basic facts of climate change.
He’s a little less overt about it than some of his peers, not going so far as to claim the whole thing is a shadowy conspiracy a la Councillor Bingham – perhaps in order to save his skin given he is, once again, the cabinet member for the environment. Not that that stopped Bingham.
When asked in a meeting whether he agrees with virtually every knowledgeable expert in the field that climate change is happening and caused by human activities, Councillor Cresswell didn’t exactly say no. He just prevaricated.
I pondered my answer to this for quite a while. I also read many different pieces of information on it – and it all depends which side you want to sit, which hat you want to wear.
So I will simply say that this is a very complex area of science and the questions on the consensus of human activity simply can’t be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Councillor Jenkins, the person who raised the question to Cresswell, quite rightly concludes
The fact that it had to be pondered and you had to think about the answer is a problem – the answer is obviously yes. It’s a scientific fact.
and that:
If we have someone in charge of the environment who denies the basic science of the environment then maybe they shouldn’t be in that position.
He asked Cresswell whether he’d thus re-consider his position.
Cresswell would not. So that’s that.
Says Jenkins:
It’s deeply worrying that someone in charge of protecting our environment can’t commit to the basic facts.
Worcester was flooded five times last winter, causing huge distress and upset for residents.
Now, farmers are sounding the alarm bells about failed crops as we enter our third heat wave of the summer, after an exceptionally dry spring. Worcester and the wider county are on the frontline of climate change. We need leadership that takes the climate emergency seriously.”