Fossil fuel firms should be forced to pay for the cost of tackling increasing numbers of wildfires during extreme heatwaves, the Green Party’s leader has said.
Zack Polanski was joined by BBC Springwatch presenter Chris Packham as he warned: “We are facing the biggest threat to this country since the Second World War.”
At a press conference in on Wednesday he called on the Prime Minister to “be truthful, be brave” and block new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
It comes as wildfires have broken out across the UK during the prolonged dry spell.
London Fire Brigade last week had its busiest 24 hours of the year, tackling 63 grass fires across the capital as temperatures topped 30C.
Large blazes have also broken out at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.
Mr Packham said ministers should “criminalise irresponsible journalism” and put in place a wildfire warning system.
The naturalist also called for a “transition to a plant-based diet”, warning animal agriculture was a “leading driver of biodiversity loss”.
Mr Polanski said since the blazes, ministers had produced “no emergency briefings, no new plan and precious little detail about how this Government will protect people from the crisis”.
“We need to look it in the face because this is only a taster of what’s to come if we don’t act now,” he said.
“We need a robust wildfire prevention strategy, a fire service with the resources it needs to tackle blazes when they come.
“And that must include firefighting helicopters when needed and not again ever seeing the shocking sight of requiring a charity to step in to contract a private firm to help fight fires.
“And this should all be funded by taxing the fossil fuel giants who are profiting from fuelling these infernos.”
Mr Polanski also called for water companies, such as Thames Water, to be taken “into public hands”.
“Money is flowing out of our hands into the pockets of shareholders, just like water is flowing out of those companies’ leaky pipes in the middle of a drought,” he said.
The Green Party leader told Andy Burnham: “I hope you will have the courage to be truthful, be brave and hold firm to your party’s commitment to no new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea, including both Rosebank and Jackdaw.
“Now, some will say we can’t afford to make these changes. These last few weeks are showing we can’t afford not to – we are facing an existential threat.”
Mr Packham added: “Is there a public wellbeing system in place which will tell people when there’s a risk of wildfire, so that they can be prepared to evacuate and have evacuation plans in place?
“Well, do you know what? There is. It’s available to the fire and rescue service but it isn’t available to the public because it’s deemed to be unreliable.
“Is it unreliable or is it just a bit too scary? We couldn’t even instigate a ban on disposable barbecues.”
He continued: “We’ve got to address the disinformation and we’ve got to do that with positive information campaigns – we’ve got to have people’s minds on the front foot so they know what’s true before they hear the lies.
“Then they will question the lies. Otherwise, you know what happens if you tell a lie frequently enough? It eventually becomes the truth.
“And that’s what we’re suffering from.
“‘We can’t afford net zero’? We can’t not afford net zero, and we’re beginning to see that that’s the case.”
Responding to Mr Polanski’s press conference, a Labour Party spokesperson said: “If Zack Polanski wants to tackle the climate crisis, he should start by telling his fellow Green Party politicians that actions speak louder than words.
“Up and down the country, the Greens have repeatedly opposed plans for new reservoirs and clean energy projects. That makes it harder to achieve what they say they want.
“The Labour government will crack on with delivering these vital upgrades. The Greens should get on board.”
