From the first day Andy Burnham came into office, climate scientists, campaigners and some of the ordinary people surviving through this summer of extreme heat began to wonder when he would start to talk about the climate crisis. Up until this week, many held back from criticism. After all, he had only been in power for a couple weeks; it felt far too early to start to judge and call him out on it.
But as we watched the footage of terrified horses galloping over cindering heathland in the New Forest while yet another wildfire took hold, it no longer felt too soon to wonder. Now people are asking aloud: why is Burnham ignoring what is in front of his face – the devastating impact of climate breakdown on the country and its citizens? She went on to call for Burnham’s government to “act with urgency” to prepare the country for a hotter climate, by cutting emissions while investing in the resilience of the country’s homes, infrastructure, farms and public services.
Mike Childs, the head of policy at Friends of the Earth, said it was time for Burnham to “end his silence on the climate emergency” and urgently tackle the causes and consequences of global heating to protect communities from increasingly frequent and extreme weather. And yet Burnham seems to feel no urgency. There has been no speech utilising his trademark down-to-earth and compelling approach when it comes to the climate emergency.
There have now been five extreme heatwaves this summer. On Wednesday, Burnham called a Cobra meeting, days after the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, delivered his “reality check” outlining the multiple threats the extreme weather poses to our safety, our food and water supply, and our way of life. But what has emerged from the meeting?
A possible ban on disposable barbecues, and even that is not a firm commitment. There has been no comment on the climate emergency that is powering the extreme heat. Burnham is enjoying a popularity bounce, which has put Labour in front of Reform UK for the first time in more than a year.
What better time, many argue, to ignore naysayers who suggest that to talk about global heating is to set off a culture war? What better time to get on the front foot and address the impacts of human-induced climate change on the livelihoods of ordinary people, the environment and the cost of living, while outlining what he is going to do about it? As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham was not shy regarding the climate emergency.
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