Conservatives pay lip service to the climate crisis. That's as bad as denying it | Stephen Buranyi

Boris Johnson's avoidance of the Channel 4 debate highlights the 'new denialism': obstructing necessary changeTonight, Channel 4 will host the first ever election debate on the climate crisis. All of the major party leaders have confirmed their attendance, save for Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. The Brexit party doesn't have a climate platform, so that squares, but Johnson would be a curious absence. The Conservative government recently passed a commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050; the party's manifesto repeats that pledge, and includes new spending for environment and climate policies. Until now, the Tories haven't seemed afraid to talk climate.This distinguishes them from other rightwing parties in the English-speaking world. The US and Australia especially seem doomed to forever re-fight the climate denial battles of the mid-00s - witness Donald Trump's tweets about cold weather contradicting "global warming", or the now Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, triumphantly brandishing a chunk of coal in parliament. Continue reading...