A letter from 175 researchers urges the UK Prime Minister to challenge President Trump on climate.
A call to challenge:
In a letter sent ahead of President Trump’s state visit to the UK, 175 researchers at British universities and research institutions have called for the prime minister, Keir Starmer, to “challenge robustly the president of the United States, Donald Trump, about his reckless approach to climate change.”
The letter, organized by Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute, warns that as the United States is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, “Mr. Trump’s actions are harming lives and livelihoods in the United States, the United Kingdom, and every other country in the world.”
Accusations of interference:
The researchers’ letter also points out that “Mr. Trump and members of his administration have also been attempting to interfere in British climate and energy policy.” It cites a recent visit to Scotland in July, during which “President Trump called for the United Kingdom to stop deploying wind turbines and made several false claims about wind farms.”
The letter argues it is “critically important that you and your government stand up to President Trump and challenge him about his dangerous and irresponsible approach to climate change.”
Ignoring science and impacts:
The letter draws attention to actions by the Trump administration to “promote ignorance and denial.” It states that “Mr. Trump’s administration has been purging information about climate change from government websites, stopping climate research, and denying the scientific evidence provided by the world’s best scientists.”
It highlights that “there is not a single scientific academy in the world that rejects the evidence that climate change is happening.” To underscore the urgency, the letter notes the UK “has just experienced its warmest summer on record, during which there were hundreds of wildfires and heat-related deaths across the nation.” Evidence of growing climate impacts:
To underscore the urgency of their plea, the researchers highlight the growing impacts of climate change within the UK.
The letter points out that the UK recently experienced its warmest summer on record, leading to hundreds of wildfires and heat-related deaths. The researchers cite an estimate from the Met Office that this record warmth was made approximately 70 times more likely by climate change.
The letter concludes by stating it is “critically important” for the UK government to stand up to President Trump’s “dangerous and irresponsible approach,” which is seen as damaging to the “best interests of current and future generations.”
