Polar bears could be a victim of climate change (Picture: METRO/anas)

A group of top judges have allegedly met to plot how they can ban anyone denying the truth of climate change.

Senior legal eagles from across the world met at the UK’s Supreme Court last month to discuss how they could deal with global warming – arguably a massive issue facing the world today.

Only, according to the Telegraph, they dispute that word ‘arguably’.

They think claiming climate change doesn’t exist or isn’t caused by humans is irresponsible, because the science is strong enough to be settled.


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The newspaper reported that judges and lawyers met to consider whether the judiciary should step in to try and enforce worldwide law limiting carbon emissions – seeing as governments don’t seem likely to agree how to do it.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held at the end of the year in Paris, but critics say any treaty will fall short of limiting global temperature rise to more than 2 degrees C from levels before we developed an industrial society.

What happens if temperatures rise above this? Scientists say if temperatures go higher than this, we face ‘unacceptable’ risks from extreme weather like cyclones, drought and heatwaves. Even at one degree of warming, rising sea levels over the long term will cause problems for low-lying cities like New York, Shanghai and Calcutta. People fleeing their homes because of climate related problems could lead to refugee crises much worse than that happening in the world today.

Keynote speaker at the meeting Philippe Sands QC said courts could hold a top-level ‘finding of fact’ to settle the scientific disputes once and for all, making it illegal for governments and corporations to question the agreed science.

This could then give weight during negotiations and help compel governments to make ‘the emissions reductions that are needed’ to halt global warming in its tracks, he said.