A Government climate adviser – a member of the Climate Change Committee, no less – who backed a tax on frequent flyers has racked up 40,000 air miles in a year by jetting to environmental conferences. The Telegraph has the story.
Nigel Topping is one of the six members of Ed Miliband’s Climate Change Committee, which recommended in February that Ministers consider a new frequent flyer levy to cut emissions from flights.
The committee also suggested Ministers could increase air fares for holidaymakers by raising flight taxes and ban airline reward schemes. Its members, who report to the Government, have called for policies to “manage demand” among air passengers to cut carbon emissions.
But Telegraph analysis shows Mr Topping accrued 11 times more air miles in the last year than the average Briton, with travel to summits in high-end hotels on three continents. A former business champion for Glasgow’s COP26 summit, he now holds a variety of climate advisory roles.
In the last 12 months, he has attended conferences in Barbados, Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the Netherlands and the US.
One summit, the International Mangrove Conservation and Restoration Conference in December, was held in the five-star Bab al-Qasr hotel in Abu Dhabi, with a private beach, infinity pool and chauffeur service.
It came days after Mr Topping’s trip to the UN’s desertification conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 3,000 miles from London. Last month, he attended another summit in Barbados, which involved an 8,400-mile round trip.
Speaking at the event, he revealed he had bought an electric car, and was building a “zero carbon house” with insulation, solar panels and a heat pump.
But according to modelling by the Department for Transport, which estimates that each kilometre of air travel emits 158g of carbon dioxide per passenger, Mr Topping’s carbon footprint from flights alone is about 40% more than the average British person produces in total in a year.
Andrew Bowie, the Shadow Energy Secretary, said: “This is rank hypocrisy. Once again we see those preaching this Mr Miliband-driven Net Zero zealotry are all too happy to impose significant burdens on others, but won’t practise what they preach.
“It’s one rule for them and another for everyone else. Kemi Badenoch and I have been clear that Net Zero by 2050 would involve significant cost to the country and to the consumer and it is simply not sustainable. It is a shame this Labour Government is still not prepared to do the same.”
Worth reading in full.
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Why not simply ban all clothes, phones, accessories, shoes, food, drinks associated with the petro-chemical industry in any way? Okay, there will be a fair few chilly, hungry and thirsty people but they won’t be associating themselves with The Evil Capitalists!
Incidentally, the ban should include the musicians instruments, all wind and solar power since anything that, in any way whatsoever, is associated with Fossil Fuels is The Great Evil of the day. I somehow think the Eco Warriors won’t be quite so keen to lose their gadgets in order to Save The World.
Obviously they also must be able to prove they walked all the way to the venue and did not walk on any tarmac, brick or paving.
The world’s gone batsh*t f*in crazy. Looking forward to my deathbed to get some peace from the asylum.
Not yet Lemming. Do not go quietly…
How does the upvote work on this one? An agreement that the world’s lost the plot, or an agreement that a Lemming funeral would be rather good? Surprised I haven’t had more up-votes! Even the usual double-act have let me down!
Uptick for the first sentence not the last.
Be careful what you wish for.
.
“True gent”
In the name of ‘cultural appropriation’ ban anyone from elsewhere from wearing any western clothing. Native dress only for our foreign visitors. No denim jeans for them. Saris only for our Indian female residents. No Nike trainers for our African residents. Only Kimonos for our Japanese visitors.
To take it to its absurd conclusion, no western inventions can be used either. No electricity, no TV, no computers.
We must never ever use chopsticks for eating Chinese food, nor must we ever again use the numeric system originally derived by Arab scholars.
Drop all English words derived from other languages, including words influenced by the Vikings, the Romans, the Normans, the Neanderthals and the proto-hominids…
Loopy thinking.
Offense isn’t given, it’s taken.
my thoughts exactly, its the Lefts way of creating constant division and hatred so that they can divide and conquer.
If you’re not Chinese, you shouldn’t be eating Chinese food. Cultural appropriation, don’cha know.
“They include “clothing/garments/items which promote cultural appropriation”.
So, jeans, cowboy boots and stetsons all banned. Each item specifically developed for the cowboy / rancher lifestyle.
Hmm. Not the sharpest knives in the drawer.
What happens if somebody turns up and is denied entrance on the grounds they are wearing a proscribed item yet there is no list of what is and is not proscribed and for and by whom?
Could an English man, or girl wear an Akubra hat or a Davey Crockett “coonskin” hat – oh that could be fun…
What’s that on your head?
‘A coon.’
Completely unenforceable and would doubtless infringe on yuman rights.
Other than causing trouble, upset, division and mindless aggravation what is this intended to achieve?
Obviously the sensible approach is to avoid marxist festivals or blatantly defy the vague guidelines and turn up ready for aggro.
if we take it to its conclusion will they ban black women who have straight hair extensions and blonde hair?, will they ban middle eastern women from wearing anything but the Hijab? will indian women be made to wear Saris?
What about the food supplied? will the ethnically British be only allowed to cook and eat Roast Beef and Fish and chips? meanwhile each race only allowed to eat and cook culturally appropriate dishes? What about the Trans men who puport to be women, will they be refused entrance because they have appropriated womens clothing?
Or is it as I suspect that the White ethnicity people will be the target of re education and bullying?
A fine example of how to create hatred and division between people by forcing them into the vituous lefts defined boxes of which you must fit and comply and if you refuse they will destroy you.
Potatoes came from the Americas, didn’t they? Chips are out.
What the hell is ‘cultural appropriation’?
I dont understand
What if one was mixed race?
How would you be expected to dress?
Say you were half Scottish and half Dutch would turning up to said festival painted blue wearing just clogs be appropriate?
So meaningful
I presume the Festival will also be banning the “cultural appropriation” of eating foreign foods.
So the Indian, Thai, Chinese, Jamaican, American etc food outlets must be restricted to customers with those origins.
For the Brits, it’s fish n chips, bangers and mash, pies or pasties. And none to be served to those who are obviously not ethnic Brits.
Does this include men dressed as women?