Chris Packham, the renowned television presenter and wildlife expert, delivered a powerful message to MPs at an emergency climate change summit: “Listen to the science.” Speaking on Thursday alongside parliamentarians, business leaders, and celebrities, Packham highlighted Britain’s inadequate preparedness for rising global temperatures and the urgent need for decisive action.
Addressing the audience at the summit’s opening, Packham, 64, questioned the slow progress in tackling what he called the greatest threats to humanity – climate breakdown and biodiversity loss. “Why are we pulling back on rapidly and forthrightly addressing these crises?” he asked.
He attributed much of the delay to a resurgence of climate denialism, driven by well-funded and influential lobbyists from fossil fuel and other industries. “A dangerous wave of misinformation and lies saturates our lives – and worse, it infiltrates the minds of policymakers who shape our future,” Packham warned.
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Highlighting the political influence of fossil fuel companies, Packham stressed that several British political parties receive significant contributions from these corporations. He urged leaders present to rise to the occasion, metaphorically earning their “Victoria Crosses” by embracing scientific guidance. “Because if you don’t listen to the science, things go wrong and lives are lost,” he said.
Drawing parallels with the recent Covid inquiry, Packham labelled it a “devastating indictment of poor governance,” pointing out how failures stemming from ego and bureaucracy cost lives. “This isn’t about departments or parties – it’s about the people who elected you and entrusted you with their future,” he insisted.
Echoing the gravity of the climate crisis, he emphasized it dwarfs the pandemic in scale, putting billions of lives at risk. “We are one species on one planet, facing one big problem – and this is our last chance to fix it,” he declared.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski, also attending the summit, stressed the emergency’s severity, underlining how vested interests have obstructed progress on climate and economic issues alike. He praised sustainable solutions like affordable, energy-efficient homes, public transport, and active travel as crucial steps that also address the cost-of-living crisis.
Polanski called for a fundamental shift in priorities – putting people and the planet above corporations harming the environment, democracy, and communities. He sharply criticised Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s scrapping of the ECO energy efficiency scheme, condemning the move as “outrageous and absolutely incoherent” amidst growing fuel poverty.
The summit served as a stark reminder that combating climate change demands unity, truthful dialogue, and urgent, science-led policy reforms to protect both people and planet.