Climate change and politics - why haven’t we done more?

With the IPCC warning that policymakers have limited time to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5° C, beyond which the climate-related risks to humans and natural systems rise quickly, it’s clear that we need to act sooner rather than later. This may be why we’re seeing increasing public action from the likes of Extinction Rebellion and the Youth Strikes for Climate, but what action have we seen from governments in the UK and beyond since this stark warning was delivered? What confidence can we have in our leaders to bring about the changes we need over the next decade? 

 

Join our host, philosopher Peter Millican, as he explores this topic with Caroline Lucas MP, Green Party politician and Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion, Dr Ryan Rafaty, a political scientist at the University of Oxford working with our Climate Econometrics project, and Tristram Walsh, President of the Oxford Climate Society, a student society dedicated to developing informed climate leaders.

 

Find out more about Oxford’s climate research at http://po.st/true_planet
You can find the cartoon Caroline mentions at http://aries.mq.edu.au/images/Copenhagen-Pett.jpg  

 

[Please note: this episode was recorded in July, at a time of extraordinary movement in UK politics – some people have changed jobs and some references have dated, but the themes remain as urgent as ever. One of our guests for this episode is Caroline Lucas, a Green MP, who we invited in her capacity as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Climate Change – members from other parties were invited and could not attend.]