Irma: Tory minister says Caroline Lucas is 'inhuman' for mentioning climate change in relation to hurricane

Sir Alan said to try and talk about global warming was a 'misjudgement'

Andrew Griffin
Thursday 07 September 2017 15:07 BST
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Tory minister chides Caroline Lucas for bringing up climate change in relation to Hurricane Irma

A senior Tory has said it is "inhuman" to discuss climate change after a set of deadly hurricanes ripped through the Atlantic.

An unprecedented set of hurricanes has torn through the Caribbean and the US over the last week. Experts agree that it's impossible to say the hurricanes were caused by global warming, but that it has an undoubted effect on the intensity of such weather.

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas asked the government whether it would be working to address the danger of climate change, after it said it would send resources to help British overseas territories that have been hit by Hurricane Irma.

But Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan told Ms Lucas that it was a "misjudgement" to talk about global warming after the deadly storm, during questions in the House of Commons.

"May I just say that I think the honourable lady has deeply misjudged the tone of this house today," Sir Alan said, to cheers from his fellow Conservatives. "We are seeing people in deep and urgent immediate need, and we are also leading the world on climate change, and she ought to show a bit more urgent and immediate humanity than make the point she's made today.

Ms Lucas described Sir Alan's statement as "unreal".

Climate experts have said that similar extreme weather events are likely in the coming years, and that governments across the world must plan for how to deal with them. At the moment, only the richest people and countries are going to be able to deal with such extreme events, they said, leaving vulnerable people at risk of suffering.

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