Boris RepliesTo The Big Ask (Contributed By John Francis)

DESPITE a hasty and late arrival, Boris Johnson MP, joined other local politicians on Friday, to put his side of the climate change debate.
“Without legislation to force government to reduce emissions annually, politicians will continue to place short-term gains ahead of the long-term decisions needed to get to grips with climate change.”
This quote from Tony Juniper, Friends of the Earth Executive Director, encapsulates the thrust behind the ?Big Ask?.
Local Friends of the Earth groups have been asked to lobby their MP?s to put pressure on Tony Blair and David Miliband to introduce a bill to curb CO2 emmisions.

At least 200 local people turned out for Chinnor and Thame Friends of the Earth?s contribution to the national group’s campaign. Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for the South East and Martyn Williams from Friends of the Earth made up two thirds of the trio of speakers. We awaited the arrival of the perpetually tardy Boris Johnson.

On Mr Johnson?s eventual arrival, the Chairman, Andy Gunn, set the scene and introduced the first speaker, Martyn Williams. Martyn gave an account of the story so far, from a time when scepticism ruled, through Kyoto to the present day when politicians of all colours are ready to speak about the problems of rising sea levels, melting permafrost and warmer summers. Growing support for Michael Meachers’ Early Day Motion has shown the level of support for legislation in the House – a motion that has attracted 380 signatures so far.

During Martyn Williams’ presentation, Boris in turn nodded in agreement, raised his eyes to the heavens and plunged his hands into his blonde ‘mop’.
“The Conservative Party has changed,” he said. Explaining that this change was evident in the new party logo, a scribbled tree. Gone were the days of the ?flaming torch,” he went on, reminding those present that his leader, David Cameron, had spoken of his concern for climate change.

As for Mr Johnson himself, he sided with Professor Lovelock, his ?green guru,? and rather depressingly reckoned there was little that could be done to save the human race. The earth would carry on, he thought but most likely, without us ; we could spend the next 20 years making sacrifices but to no avail, he stated,
raising his arms in supplication.
“But this is no reason to try; tax bad things, de-tax good things. Tax gas-guzzlers, stop development in the South East, cut red tape preventing installation of solar panels, encourage cycling and cycling networks,” he concluded.

Boris fell back into his chair, shuffled his papers and looked to leave but chairman, Andy Gunn, said there were to be questions from the floor. Maureen Dyroff asked Boris if he would write to Tony Blair and David Miliband entreating them to put the Climate Change Bill in the Queens Speech. The answer was not a direct ‘yes.’

After the departure of Boris, it was left to Caroline Lucas to add her observations. Caroline underlined the need for a political framework to enable individuals to take the necessary actions.
What faced us, she said, was not a technical problem; many solutions had been developed. Political will was needed.
“Why are we not taking action?” she asked. Was it the lack of immediate threat that was making us complacent? She observered that there seemed to be a difficulty in communicating the problems. Here Caroline spread out her own version of Utopia: “A low carbon future need not make us poorer,” she said. There could be an increase in viable communities; we could be more sociable, happier and secure.

After another round of questions the meeting was bought to a close and we withdrew to sample the tea and cakes provided by Friends of the Earth supporters and very generously, by the local Co-op.