I’m horrified to see that Labour has allowed some of the UK’s biggest carbon polluters to host events at this year’s Labour Conference. More surprising is the fact that the party is allowing these companies to do so under the guise of caring about the environment, when nothing could be further from the truth.
HEATHROW Airport is simulating an ‘exclusive airport-style lounge’ in the Sandringham Room at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on September 23-24. The company’s doublethink is staggering: it plans to discuss ‘Parliament’s momentous decision in favour of Heathrow expansion’ while holding a ‘Big Environment Talk’. Heathrow is already the biggest single source of greenhouse gases in the UK, and a third runway will all but blow our chances of meeting our targets for cutting emissions.
So why are Labour, who say they are committed to ‘radically transform economically’ to focus on climate change, making space for events like this to happen?
Meanwhile, BP is hosting a public event along with the New Statesman: ‘Net zero: imagining a decarbonised UK’, at the Hilton on September 24. And there are reports alleging that Shadow Secretary for Business and Energy will be taking part. As we all know, BP is one of the ‘Big 2’ global oil producers, making its huge profits out of polluting our air by pumping massive amounts of carbon into it daily. The company is responsible for one of the worst environmental disasters in history, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, from which the environment will never recover.
Major fossil fuel companies like BP are hardly role models for tackling climate breakdown. As Green Party MP, Caroline Lucas, said: “BP and Shell have been barriers to climate action for years. These two fossil fuel dinosaurs are clinging to their out-dated and out-of-touch business models while the climate crisis worsens.”
Furthermore, while Shell has stated that it plans to take steps to reduce the carbon footprint of the fuel it produces, BP has said taking responsibility for the fuels its customers use would limit the flexibility the company needs.
Does Labour really think that a company with such a blatant disrespect for the natural world is a suitable advocate of good environmental practice and deserves a platform?
By allowing these events to take place, the message Labour is putting out to our biggest polluters is business as usual. As Greens, we know radical transformation to a carbon-zero economy is key to avoiding the most damaging effects or climate change. It is because of the poor practices of companies like these that we need such dramatic action in order to survive.
This is very disappointing – and we expected better from Labour.
Elaine Hills
Green Councillor for Hanover and Elm Grove
on behalf of the Green Group of Councillors, Brighton and Hove City Council
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