A well-informed sceptic recently asked me if I understood why politicians are so keen on global warming. He said that he found this hard to explain. So although Harmless Sky’s blog rules say that party politics are out of bounds, and its impossible to discuss this subject without breaking those rules just a little, I’m going to set down a few reasons why, if I were a politician, I would believe in anthropogenic climate change too.

1. Talking about climate change is the nearest a politician will ever come to risk free politics. If you don’t believe me, just name one politician whose career has been damaged by joining the crusade against global warming. Proclaiming your intention to cut greenhouse gases by 99.9% before the end of next millennium is so much safer than suggesting a date for troop withdrawals from Iraq, or promising to sort out problems in the National Health Service.
2. For the last decade, the government and the opposition in the UK have been competing to create the most ‘concerned’ image, and climate change is by far the safest thing to be ‘concerned’ about. If you are ‘concerned’ about street crime or social deprivation, the electorate will expect you to come up with some sensible policies and then they will notice if nothing happens. This does not apply to climate change. Continue reading »