MP and millionaire businessman Richard Tice’s recent comments have outraged the global scientific community as misinformation threat continues to increase.
Speaking with Sky News’ political correspondent Ali Fortescue, the Reform UK deputy leader tried to dismiss the global consensus on manmade climate change as ‘garbage’. ‘There’s no evidence that man-made CO2 is going to change climate change. Given that it’s gone on for millions of years, it will go on for millions of years.’
Fortescue cited findings of more than 200 international scientists who now agree that carbon emissions caused by human activity are contributing to rapid planetary heating.
While Tice responded by claiming he could list many more experts who do not side with the majority, he notably avoided listing any names and instead claimed a number were unwilling to go public for fear of reprisals. Dr George Adamson of King’s College London told Sky News the idea of a UK politician having ‘discovered something that climate scientists don’t know’ as ‘preposterous’.
The interview has aired as climate scientists reel from decisions by the US administration which many consider to be targeted the sciences, and environmental research in particular. In January, Environment Journal reported on how the White House had begun deleting references to ‘climate’ from many of its websites. A number of other words are also being flagged when linked to scientific research, including ‘women’.
‘What is it that the you know that [the international scientific community] don’t?’ asked Fortescue, before Tice reached to misrepresent sections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s [IPCC] most recent report.
‘In the sixth report, [the IPCC] says if we get to net zero tomorrow it will make no difference to sea level rise between 200 years and 1,000 years,’ Tice replied. ‘We are being lied to, we are being misinformed, and we’ve got the courage to say to people: ‘we’ve got to stop this nonsense’.’
Fortescue pressed with more sections from the ICC report, which states ‘human activities are the main cause of climate change’. Tice attempted to write this off as ‘garbage’, claiming he had ‘just proven it’. A ‘Norwegian government report’ was also cited as further evidence human-caused climate change wasn’t real, although he did not name the study.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage famously fell foul out of favour with United States Special Government Employee, President Donald Trump’s righthand man and head of DOGE Elon Musk after distancing himself from British far right mouthpiece and convicted criminal Tommy Robinson. However, the veteran politician – once a Member of European Parliament and, like Tice, a leading Brexiteer, is said to have ambitions of reconnecting and solidifying ties with the White House administration.
Recent news of a £1million Reform UK fundraising event, at which Farage performed Village People’s ‘YMCA’ – now an anthem of the Trump regime – has also been taken as a sign of clear intentions to ‘mend bridges’ with Washington. Free speech, press freedom and climate organisations have already sounded the alarm about what this could mean for the spread of disinformation in Britain, particularly with regard to immigration, net zero and the climate crisis.
Last week, Farage attended an event designed to raise awareness of the impact of new inheritance tax laws on farmers. During a speech to attendees, he perpetuated the widely debunked myth that farmland across Britain could be cleared to make way for immigrants as part of a Labour government ‘sinister agenda’. This echoes far right commentators in Europe, with similar sentiments shared by the Dutch Party for Freedom [PVV] prior to winning last year’s general election and becoming the largest faction in a new ruling right wing coalition of the Netherlands.
More on climate:
Top image: mana5280 / Unsplash