Insulate Britain’s M25 roadblocks undermine climate case – The Yorkshire Post says

IT IS an irony of timing that Yorkshire is developing this country’s most ambitious climate action plan when so-called eco-warriors are halting motorways – and disrupting the livelihoods of hardworking drivers.
By YP Comment
Published 17th Sep 2021, 16:38 BST
Handout photo issued by Insulate Britain of protesters taking part in blocking the M25 motorway in London.Handout photo issued by Insulate Britain of protesters taking part in blocking the M25 motorway in London.
Handout photo issued by Insulate Britain of protesters taking part in blocking the M25 motorway in London.

Just like Extinction Rebellion who remain synonymous with direct action, Insulate Britain’s similarly disruptive approach is simply alienating public opinion when Britain is leading the world, ahead of the COP26 climate change summit, to eliminate harmful carbon emissions.

And just as many motorists will question why it required the intervention of Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, and Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, before the police responded to the latest M25 roadblocks more effectively, it is, in many respects, Westminster where environmental activists need to be making a more constructive case.

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After all, the energy efficiency of properties – their latest motivation – is directly linked to the scandalous number of winter deaths each year because pensioners cannot afford to heat their homes due to the both the cost and inadequate insulation. The coming months will be just as bleak for many as the energy price cap is lifted.

Highways England workers close off the exit slip road of the M25 motorway near Leatherhead after protestors blocked the road and left paint on it.Highways England workers close off the exit slip road of the M25 motorway near Leatherhead after protestors blocked the road and left paint on it.
Highways England workers close off the exit slip road of the M25 motorway near Leatherhead after protestors blocked the road and left paint on it.

When Barnsley Central MP Dan Jarvis raised this issue in Parliament in January 2016, he claimed that there were 116,000 premature deaths each year due to this and David Cameron, the then PM, conceded that this figure was a “standing rebuke to all governments”.

More than five years later, the issue of home insulation is even more urgent and relevant. It will not be solved, however, by stunts like those witnessed this week.

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Related topics:Yorkshire PostYorkshireBritainDan JarvisGrant Shapps

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