Dear Editor,
We know that climate change is now affecting all aspects of the global weather balance. Scientists worldwide recognise climate change. The question to tackle is, do we now or do we prevaricate and see what happens?

Steve Baker MP (Wycombe, Cons), has shown he is a climate crisis denier. So too is billionaire Rishi Sunak, our Prime Minister. They say there is no immediate problem and we should wait until the UK can afford it.

The Conservative Government has pushed several key Net Zero deadlines down the road from 2030 to 2035. Here are some delaying actions they advocate. 292 Conservative MPs voted to allow sewage dumping by water companies in our rivers, lakes and coasts for at least 15 more years. Steve Baker voted for this measure.

Rishi Sunak has pushed the deadline for phasing out combustion engine-powered vehicles until 2035 which even the vehicle manufacturers fought against.

The Government has also removed the majority of our protective environmental legislation built up over 70 years by repealing the European environmental legislation the UK accepted.

This Government has also committed to more oil, gas and coal extraction with no benefit to the UK.

Steve Baker supports a “pragmatic, proportionate and realistic approach to reaching Net Zero”. He reasons that we cannot afford to spend the money to deal with these issues today. He thinks it best to do it in 2035.

A recent report in the journal Nature identifies that by 2050, the global economy is already committed to an income reduction of 19 % due to climate change, equivalent to $38tn a year.

This economic damage is already locked in, and compounding, thanks to historical emissions stemming from the effect of rising temperatures and factors relevant to economic growth, such as infrastructure, food production and productivity.

This figure excludes losses from extreme weather events like excessive temperatures, extreme storms and rampant wildfires.

If we wait until 2035 before we act on climate and environmental changes we will suffer economic difficulties. Using the figures from Nature, the UK economy will be worse off by approximately $473bn in 2035 as a result of climate change.

In addition, as a country, we will have added huge volumes of greenhouse gas emissions which are changing the climate. This additional burden of emissions will make it even more difficult to step back from the economic and environmental problems.

It seems a sensible and pragmatic approach to act now. All political parties should work toward goals that will help us prosper, save money and protect our planet from degradation. Steve Baker, MP for Wycombe, is doing the opposite.

Damon Barker
Steve Baker Watch