Thread by @ThierryAaron

It is increasingly clear that there's now a concerted effort under way in parts of the British press to derail action on the #ClimateEmergency.

This🧵highlights key examples & shows how the main arguments are textbook #ClimateDelay 1/n

Remember, this follows years of the same papers pedalling climate denial. Denial is no longer an option, we’ve entered a new phase of predatory delay as defined by @AlexSteffen... 2/n

https://twitter.com/AlexSteffen/status/902164491651006464

A.K.A. - The four-stage strategy concisely explained to Bernard by Sir Humphry and Sir Richard in this clip: 3/n -

As a starting point let’s use the Discourses of #ClimateDelay framework outlined in the excellent paper by @lamb_wf et al. as this helpfully identifies the main delay arguments… 4/n

https://twitter.com/lamb_wf/status/1278242106625187841

@lamb_wf Is it possible to find examples of these spurious arguments in the British press? Short answer - yes, yes we can! 5/n

First up, 'Whataboutism' –

Here’s Dominic Lawson in @thetimes :

"But China is already producing 27 percent of the global total, a proportion that is only increasing. Meanwhile, the UK is now responsible for just 1 percent of emissions." 6/n
thetimes.co.uk/article/an-inc…

Dan Wooton in the @DailyMailUK :

“...when it comes to climate change it's the only word that actually matters: CHINA!” 7/n

dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

Ross Clark in the @spectator :

“Given that Britain accounts for 1 per cent of global carbon emissions (against 29 per cent for China), a net zero Britain will not mean much unless the entire world makes the same legal commitment.” 8/n

spectator.co.uk/article/the-tr…

Next ‘The Freerider Excuse’ -

Stephen Glover in @DailyMailUK :

"The Government can't single-handedly save the world, but it can single-handedly disadvantage the British people and undermine the economy." 9/n

dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

Benny Pieser of @thegwpfcom in @Daily_Express:
"project is essential for UK steel-making (the coking coal is used for steel production rather than power generation) & without it, mining jobs simply move to Russia where factories are far more polluting"10/n express.co.uk/comment/expres…

Ross Clark (again) this time in @Telegraph:

"offshoring our emissions to less-regulated parts inevitably means a net rise in global emissions." 11/n

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/2…

Individualism –

We have @AllegraCOP26 's ‘Micro-steps’ published in @Telegraph: “People should consider not rinsing plates before putting them in the dishwasher to limit the impact on the environment, Boris Johnson’s COP26 spokeswoman has suggested” 12/n

telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/…

Look at the focus of @emilygosden’s interview with @Shell CEO: "In a speech to The Times CEO Summit, Mr van Beurden, 61, also called for action to address unsustainable consumption patterns, citing “consumers who choose to eat strawberries in winter” 13/n
thetimes.co.uk/article/shell-…

Then we have Technological Optimism -

Matt Ridley in @telegraph "Innovation will create marvellous, unexpected things in the next 10 years... we would be better off funding research to bring down the cost of carbon capture, nuclear power &fusion" 14/n

telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/11/2…

We have @DailyMailUK science correspondent bring us fantasies about jet-zero: "Creating jet fuel for planes out of carbon dioxide – which could make flying guilt free – could soon be a reality."

But how soon is soon? 15/n

dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ar…

And @thetimes' Iain Martin promoting arch climate skeptic Bjorn Lomborg’s book: "He proposes more innovation, investing in research and development for such things as green energy, energy storage and nuclear power" 16/n

thetimes.co.uk/article/false-…

Fossil Fuel Solutionism –

Here's @TheSun's Trevor Kavanagh’s promoting fracking “There is a solution to our looming energy crisis — cheap, clean shale gas." 17/n

thesun.co.uk/news/8959566/t…

In @Telegraph Ambrose Evans-Pritchard's defence of Western oil companies "If your objective is to cut global CO2 as fast as possible, would you not rather that the oil and gas comes from American companies under relatively tough regulatory control" 18/n

telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/…

Or the Chief Executive of industry group @OGUKenergy in @thetimes:

"The UK offshore oil and gas industry has been world-leading in its sustainability commitments and its willingness to tackle climate change head-on" 19/n

thetimes.co.uk/article/the-oi…

'No Sticks, Just Carrots' –

Allister Heath in the @Telegraph:

"The real Tory version should be to electrify cars, not ban them; to greenify fuel, not restrict flights; to decarbonise central heating, not to force the public to freeze" 20/n

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/2…

.@Daily_Express: "Government should instead incentivise the move to clean fuels by motivating industry and entrepreneurs to develop technologies that will not impact adversely on the economy, drivers or businesses." 21/n

express.co.uk/life-style/car…

.@TheSun: "Mr Dimbleby is expected to tell the PM that any tax should be avoided in the short term because it may spark uproar." 22/n

thesun.co.uk/news/15387848/…

'Appeal to Wellbeing' -

A whole column by climate sceptic Bjorn Lomborg to spread his misinformation in @Telegraph:

"We could address most of the world’s top issues with a fraction of what we’re spending on climate" 23/n

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/2…

Similarly, Michael Schellenberger had generous coverage in the @DailyMail_UK: "Green alarmism is creating a raft of dangerous myths about climate change and blinding the public to real solutions that could address far more pressing global problems." 24/n

dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8…

*Side note*

Some context on Schellenberger if you’ve not come across him before from climate scientist @PeterGleick 25/n

yaleclimateconnections.org/2020/07/review…

Tom O’Brien in @thesundaytimes: "Fossil fuels are required for development. Abandoning them will condemn the global poor to hardship and their right to modern livelihoods" 26/n

thetimes.co.uk/article/tom-o-…

Next, we have the big one, the supremely cynical:

'Appeal to Social Justice'

This is key to the host of #CostofNetZero articles published recently. At this point I’d like to flag this fab article by @James_BG to better understand the crocodile tears 27/n

https://twitter.com/James_BG/status/1423631016170856452

There’s also this great debunking of the #CostofNetZero fallacy by @dpcarrington: 28/n

https://twitter.com/dpcarrington/status/1425347281415454722

.@TheSun featured Steve Baker (on @thegwpfcom board) "The elite policymakers who govern our lives agree we should reduce our carbon emissions. But they have not been up front about the cost for working families. You, the voter, have not had a choice" 29/n thesun.co.uk/news/15068214/…

Ross Clark (again) in @telegraph:

"Voters, aligned in principle with climate campaigners, may well have a different view when they realise they could end up paying many thousands of pounds, or even face losing their homes." 30/n

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/04/0…

Stephen Glover in @DailyMailUK:

“How easy it is for high-minded rich people to lay down the law for poorer folk. They often haven’t the faintest idea of the effect of their expensive recommendations on ordinary lives." 31/n

dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

Benny Peiser of the @thegwpfcom (him again) in @Daily_Express:

"It is fairly certain that most households would be unable to keep their heads above water as this torrent of additional Net Zero costs overwhelms their domestic budgets" 32/n

express.co.uk/comment/expres…

Andrew Montfod (also @thegwpfcom) in @spectator:

"Do you have £150,000 to spare? Coming in the wake of the pandemic, I’m pretty sure most people will not" 33/n

spectator.co.uk/article/the-hi…

Dominic Lawson (son of GWPF chairman Nigel Lawson) in @thetimes:

“When the public wake up to what is going to happen to them, they may be less enthusiastic" 34/n

thetimes.co.uk/article/talkin…

Lastly, 'Change is Impossible' -

Fraser Mayers in @telegraph:
"the truth is, the sacrifices being demanded of us in the name of Net Zero are incompatible with democracy" 35/n

telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/07/2…

Peter Hitchins in @DailyMailUK:

“The wild plans embraced by Johnson last week will cost billions in subsidies, and so in taxes. They will endanger the power supply." 36/n

dailymail.co.uk/debate/article…

@DailyMailUK Dominic Lawson (him again!) in @thesundaytimes:

“Trying to reach these impossible targets will be painful and pointless” 37/n

thetimes.co.uk/article/zero-c…

I've skipped 3 arguments. Maybe I wasn’t looking for quite the right thing, or it could be at present ‘Doomism’, ‘Policy Perfectionism’ & ‘All Talk Little Action’ aren’t being used as much right now. If you know of any eg's I’ve missed please add them to this thread. 38/n

I hope it is clear from the above how the push-back against net-zero is organised, how the arguments being put forward are deployed, and how ALL this is being facilitated by the British Press. So much for a free press! 39/n

It’s urgent that efforts are made to confront such misinformation, but also to shine a light on those groups & think-tanks like the @thegwpfcom who are supplying these bogus arguments and the dark money funders who back them 40/n

It’s also why we desperately need to support efforts such as @stopfundingheat as well as those brave campaigners at @4billionaires.

We’ve already lost decades to inaction on the climate crisis, we cannot let the spin-doctors stall us again!

https://twitter.com/stopfundingheat/status/1425790445754458116