The British Department of Energy and Climate Change has been closed in a series of sweeping changes to the government unveiled by the new prime minister, Theresa May. Its functions, which include representing the UK at international climate talks, responsibility for meeting carbon targets and levying subsidies for green energy, have been transferred to a beefed-up business department led by Greg Clark. Clark is seen as a green-minded Tory, but, as far as I know, not a fighter for a cause.
“This is shocking news. Less than a day into the job and it appears that the new prime minister has already downgraded action to tackle climate change, one of the biggest threats we face,” said Craig Bennett, the CEO of Friends of the Earth.
One has to wonder why on earth May did this. British Tories do not seem to have the distaste for environmentalism that affects right-wingers in the United States, but maybe British oil and gas interests have exerted their influence in London after all? For this I have no evidence whatsoever, but May seems a Prime Minister with clear aims, and the Tories, although not climate change deniers as a crowd, are not known as ardent environmentalists either.
More important even than Isamic terrorism and the future of the EU is the global issue of climate change. If you think the world is in turmoil now just wait as see what it will be like by mid-Century.
I wouldn’t worry too much about what is effectively a departmental merger. Although its somewhat significant to have the name climate change removed from a department’s name, I would only be concerned if climate change policy were to take a turn for the worse. I could be wrong, but I haven’t seen any evidence of that happening. But if the climate change performance is to be believed, only Denmark is currently doing a better job at dealing with climate change. http://www.caneurope.org/docman/position-papers-and-research/un-climate-negotiations-2/2813-ccpi-2016-results-emborgoed/file That doesn’t mean that we are doing enough, but we are certainly doing far more than most of the rest of the world.