Gary Lineker and Dame Emma Thompson have called for the phasing out of fossil fuels despite admitting they are hypocrites for their jet-setting lifestyles. The Telegraph has more.
A group of film stars, musicians and activists has signed an open letter demanding that world leaders “transition away from fossil fuels”.
The letter is being put forward by the group Our Kids Climate – a worldwide group of parents concerned about their children’s future – ahead of the UN Summit for the Future.
Lineker, the Match of the Day presenter, is among the signatories of the letter despite his 2023 admission that he is a climate “hypocrite” due to his continued use of air travel.
In July last year he responded to a series of screenshots of tweets he had posted about flying abroad.
He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “We’ll need a rethink eventually, I imagine. We need to seek alternatives, if we’re still around to seek them.
“Yes, I take scheduled flights, never under any circumstances these days will I go on private planes, but I’ll say again, we’re all hypocrites and all can do better.”
He was also criticised in 2023 by Tory MPs for sympathising with an Extinction Rebellion protest while himself having a “CO2 footprint that is easily in the top one per cent of the population”.
British actress Dame Emma has also added her signature to the fossil fuel plea.
She has admitted being “hypocritical” in the past after flying from her LA home to attend a 2019 Extinction Rebellion protest in London.
Responding to criticism at the time, Dame Emma said: “I may well be hypocritical by flying but I’m conscious of flying so I fly much less, but sometimes I have to when I’m working.”
The letter setting out climate demands on behalf of children has been signed by “notable parents”, including Julie Walters, Ray Winstone, and Rosario Dawson.
It is addressed to world leaders and has been made public ahead of the United Nations Summit of the Future.
The letter states: “The burning of fossil fuels drives the climate crisis, harming children now and stealing their futures.
“It is crucial that the Summit makes an unambiguous commitment to a just and fair transition away from fossil fuels.
“And it is crucial that you, as world leaders, and indeed as parents, make good on that commitment, so that we can pass on a healthy planet to our children.”
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, is another signatory and has also been accused of climate hypocrisy after it was revealed that he and his team had racked up tens of thousands of air miles since his election in 2016.
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