Chris Packham accuses government of ‘cooking the books’ on climate targets

Chris Packham accused the Government of “cooking the books” after a minister claimed this morning that it had exceeded its climate targets.

The wildlife TV presenter and conservationist reacted strongly Conservatives after Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho said the UK was the first country in the top 20 economies to “we have halved our carbon dioxide emissions.”

On Sunday on BBC One with Laura KuenssbergPackham said: “Our government’s policies at the moment are not only cooking the planet – they are justifying it by cooking the books.”

He argued that the government is not overshooting its climate goals as Coutinho claimed.

He stressed that exporting fossil fuels – such as coal from a proposed coal mine in Cumbria – only means that carbon dioxide emissions will be released to other parts of the world.

He said: “You don’t calculate the total cost of carbon emissions in terms of what our country achieves, or what is imported into the country.”

Packham also said any extra freedom the Government now gives people by delaying net zero targets will only impact their children and grandchildren.

Packham said: “We need a just transition over a period of time to make it affordable.

“None of these conversations mentioned the grotesque profits that our energy companies, our oil and gas companies are making at a time when there is so much volatility in this market that is fueling a cost of living crisis.”

The nature conservator also reminded David Cameron his ministers’ alleged call to “cut back on green crap” back in 2013, when he was prime minister.

Packham said that if we had introduced pro-ecological policy then, we would have been a step ahead of other renewable energy sources that are cheaper and more resistant to price fluctuations.

Packham’s criticism comes after the official climate watchdog, the Climate Change Commission, said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was “taking us back” when it comes to tackling the crisis.

In September last year, the Prime Minister withdrew from green commitments, delaying the introduction of a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and postponing the ban on phasing out gas boilers.

Related…