If ‘balance’ means giving voice to those who deny the reality of human-triggered climate change, we will not take part in the debate, say Jonathon Porritt, Caroline Lucas, Clive Lewis and 57 other writers, politicians and academics

We are no longer willing to lend our credibility to debates over whether or not climate change is real. It is real. We need to act now or the consequences will be catastrophic. In the interests of “balance”, the media often feels the need to include those who outright deny the reality of human-triggered climate change.

Balance implies equal weight. But this then creates a false equivalence between an overwhelming scientific consensus and a lobby, heavily funded by vested interests, that exists simply to sow doubt to serve those interests. Yes, of course scientific consensus should be open to challenge – but with better science, not with spin and nonsense. We urgently need to move the debate on to how we address the causes and effects of dangerous climate change – because that’s where common sense demands our attention and efforts should be.

Fringe voices will protest about “free speech”. No one should prevent them from expressing their views, whether held cynically or misguidedly. However, no one is obliged to provide them with a platform, much less to appear alongside them to give the misleading impression that there is something substantive to debate. When there is an article on smoking, newspapers and broadcasters no longer include lobbyists claiming there are no links to cancer. When there’s a round-the-world yacht race we don’t hear flat-earthers given airtime: “This is madness; they’ll sail off the edge!”

There’s a workable model for covering fringe views – which is to treat them as such. They don’t need to be ridiculed, just expected to challenge the evidence with better evidence, and otherwise ignored. As campaigners and thinkers who are led by science and the precautionary principle, and who wish to debate the real and vital issues arising from human-triggered climate change, we will not assist in creating the impression that climate denial should be taken seriously by lending credence to its proponents, by entertaining ideas that lack any basis in fact. Therefore we will no longer debate those who deny that human-caused climate change is real. There are plenty of vital debates to be had around climate chaos and what to do about it; this is simply no longer one of them. We urge broadcasters to move on, as we are doing.

Jonathon Porritt Chair, Sustainable Development Commission 2000-11

John Sauven Executive director, Greenpeace

Prof Richard Murphy Director, Tax Research UK

Peter Tatchell

Prof Andrea Sella, Michael Faraday prize winner

Prof Robert Ayres Author

Caroline Lucas MP

Clive Lewis MP

Prof Molly Scott Cato MEP

Dr Rupert Read Chair, Green House thinktank

George Monbiot Author

Dr Doug Parr Chief scientist, Greenpeace

Chris Rose Former programme director, Greenpeace

Jeremy Leggett Founder, Solar Century

Mayer Hillman Senior fellow, Policy Studies Institute

Bea Campbell

Ed Gillespie Co-founder, Futerra

Mark Lynas Author

Dr James Garvey Author

Oliver Tickell Author

Chris Goodall Author

Prof Clive Spash Author

Prof Hugh Montgomery Co-founder, UK Climate and Health Council

Prof Mark Maslin Author

Prof Anthony Ryan Director, Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures

Dr Sian Foch-Gatrell Green Ocean Project

Dr Erik Buitenhuis Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

David Wasdell Director, Apollo-Gaia Project

Prof Paul Ekins UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources

Dr Teresa Belton Author

Dr Nick Brooks Climatic Research Unit, UEA

Dr Simon Boxley Centre for Climate Change Education, University of Winchester)

Prof Jem Bendell Sustainability Leadership Institute, University of Cumbria

Dr David Drew MP

Dr Ian Gibson Former chair of the House of Commons science and technology select committee)

Keith Taylor MEP

Clare Moody MEP

Catherine Bearder MEP

Cllr Jonathan Bartley Co-leader, Green party

Carne Ross Former UK and UN diplomat

Neal Lawson Director, Compass

Ben Chacko Editor, Morning Star

Deepak Rughani Co-director, Biofuelwatch

Patrick Barkham Author

Prof Gary Francione

Prof Sarah Churchwell

Dr Christine Cornea

Dr Richard House

Dr Abby Innes

Dr Pierre Bocquillon

Prof Del Loewenthal

Prof Andrew Samuels

Dr Jo Veltman

Prof Peter Belton

Dr Andrew Boswell

Dr Katherine Kite

Mark Crutchley

Karen Whiterod

Anne Dismorr

Jonathan Kent



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