Rising temperatures are “likely to be beneficial” for Britain as more people die of cold than heat in this country, Lord David Frost has said.
The former Brexit negotiator said on Tuesday that he is “sceptical” about mitigating the impacts of climate change, urging the government to move away from expensive mitigation efforts.
Speaking during a debate in the House of Lords on preparations for the impact of climate change, the Tory peer said: “We have all too little debate on climate change. It’s all the more important that we have it now since critics of any aspects of this policy find it increasingly difficult to get a hearing in the media.
‘High-Cost’ Approach
Mr. Frost acknowledged that “more will need to be spent on things like flood protection and reservoirs.”But he cast doubt on the supposed health impact of rising temperatures.
He said: “Digging deeper, what are those consequences of the hotter, warmer summers and warmer, wetter winters?
“At the moment, seven times as many people die from cold as from heat in Britain. Rising temperatures are likely to be beneficial.”
He cited the Government Actuary’s Department as saying in April that “it is the low winter temperatures that have a greater effect on the number of deaths.”
“Since the start of the millennium, a decline in deaths from cold temperature periods has more than offset any increase in the number of deaths associated with warmer temperatures over the same period,” said the former minister.
Mr. Frost added: “Now, I’m not sceptical about adaptation. I’m sceptical about mitigation.
“I suggest that the rational thing to do is to move away from the current high-cost mitigation efforts, efforts which also involve massive investments in unproductive renewables, huge changes in lifestyles, as well as crushing economic growth, and pursue mitigation in a different way.
‘Right-Wing Conspiracy’
Mr. Frost’s argument met with objections from both government and opposition peers.Green Party peer Baroness Jones said he had promoted “denialist tropes” and “right-wing conspiracy theories” in his speech.
Independent crossbench peer Lord Hastings rejected suggestions that the public cannot afford the government’s climate policies, noting that he expects more than 53 million British adults and children to take overseas holidays this year.
He said: “People can afford in mass numbers to undertake easy pleasures, but when it comes to affording the cost of responding to the cataclysmic crisis of climate change, we’re told we can’t afford it—we can.”
Energy minister Lord Callanan said: “Adaptation and net zero in fact go hand-in-hand, achieving net zero actually requires adaptation. We have a huge opportunity to make the substantial net zero investments that are resilient to current and future climate change risks and doing so can, of course, prevent future higher costs.
Net Zero Debate
It comes after last week’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election triggered debates in both main parties about the pace and costs of the UK’s green policies.The Conservatives, trailing far behind in polls, managed to hang on to the outer London constituency amid local concerns about the Labour mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand the capital’s ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ), which will make it more costly for many people to drive.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he doesn’t think there is any doubt that the ULEZ policy cost his party the seat, and called on Mr. Khan to “reflect on this.”
But he is under pressure from lawmakers from both Conservative and opposition parties to stick to green policies.
They urged Mr. Sunak to reject new fossil fuel projects and join other countries such as Denmark, France, and Germany in calling for an “urgent phase-out of fossil fuels.”
