The overwhelming majority of Conservative MPs do not believe that a link between human activity and climate change has been proven, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by Populus for PR Week, found that while 51 percent of MPs from all parties believe global warming is largely man-made, just 30 percent of Tories agree. This is in sharp contrast to Labour, with 73 percent of their MPs agreeing that human activity causes climate change.
Just over half of Conservatives agreed with the statement “it has not yet been conclusively proved that climate change is man made”, with a further 18 percent agreeing that “man-made climate change is environmentalist propaganda”.
Greenpeace UK have reacted with anger to the findings, claiming they are a “huge embarrassment” for David Cameron, while Conservative MP Amber Rudd, who is minister for energy and climate change, said: “Man-made climate change is one of the most serious threats that we face.”
However, writing for PR Week, Benny Peiser of the Global Warming Policy Foundation said that the rise in climate scepticism can be explained simply by the fact that apocalyptic global warming has not happened:
“The reason for growing climate fatigue is not so much a PR failure. After all, hundreds of millions are being spent each year around the world by thousands of NGOs, green energy lobbies and green government ministers,” he wrote.
“It is rather that reality no longer corresponds with alarmist predictions that were issued just a few years ago.
“The novelty of global warming and the habitual alarm have lost their original shock value. Most people have begun to take climate scares with a sizeable pinch of salt.