ZACK Polanski has challenged Andy Burnham to stick to Labour’s manifesto promise to ban new oil and gas projects as he spoke alongside a former soldier who called climate change the “greatest threat to human security we face”.
The Green Party leader blasted oil and gas companies “who are profiting from fuelling these infernos” which have ripped across Scotland and England in recent weeks.
He called for urgent measures to support people affected by droughts, which include the entirety of Wales and around half of England.
Burnham must commit to blocking plans to exploit the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, Polanski said, in a challenge that will be put to the Labour Government in Westminster as well as posing questions for John Swinney’s administration in Edinburgh.
The Prime Minister said that "we can't ignore" the fossil fuel resources in the North Sea during a phone call with US President Donald Trump, who has demanded the UK exploit its oil and gas reserves.
Swinney meanwhile has called on Labour to scrap the energy windfall tax, despite firms posting massive profits as prices soared in response to the war in Iran, after BP announced it was quitting the declining basin.
Polanski said: “We know that these extreme temperatures, these deadly wildfires are being driven by the burning of fossil fuels and the sad reality is that decades of inaction, of politicians allowing fossil fuel companies to profit from pumping out deadly emissions, have guaranteed the extreme weather we are seeing right now and we will see for the rest of our lifetimes. But there is still time to stop total breakdown.
“So let me speak directly to the Prime Minister: If we are to secure a liveable future for our children and for our grandchildren, there can be no new drilling for oil and gas. On this, the science is crystal clear. As politicians, we have a moral responsibility to do what is right for the people we serve even when it’s not politically convenient. And I know that whatever our differences, we both care deeply about the people of this country and the future of our planet.
“So when the time comes, 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.”
In a rebuke to those who would “say we can’t afford to make these changes”, Polanski added: “These last few weeks are showing we can’t afford not to, we are facing an existential threat, people are dying, people are scared, it is time to act.”
His comments, made at a press conference in London on Wednesday, come as the Met Office declared earlier in the week that England and Wales had recorded their driest July on record and the driest month ever recorded for southern England in a 190-year period.
Wildfires have swept across swathes of the UK, including burning across the Cairngorms National Park while the Sizewell B nuclear plant was put on alert as a blaze crept across Dunwich Heath in Suffolk.
Polanski demanded the Prime Minister, who is currently on holiday, bring in a number of emergency measures to tackle the effects of extreme heat and climate change.
He said: “In the immediate term, we need to keep people safe from extreme temperatures. That means a free, accessible cool space in every local area and financial support for households so they can heatproof their homes.
“Second, we need a robust wildfire prevention strategy, a fire service with the resources it needs 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.
“And finally, to secure our water supply, prevent droughts and protect our food system, we need to bring water back into public hands. Right now, 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.”
Carl Benfield, a former soldier and engineer, also spoke at the event. In a statement, the ex-serviceman said: “As a soldier and an engineer, I was used to conducting threat assessments and defensive plans. It is clear to me that climate change is the single greatest threat to human security we face.
“Removing climate resilience from our national defence priorities was an act of complete strategic blindness.
“You cannot defend a nation if you refuse to acknowledge the very force that makes its infrastructure obsolete, burns its countryside, and threatens its food and water supply.”
The UK Government was approached for comment.
