British naturalist warns climate change may bring social unrest

Staff reporter(wp/reuters):::

Naturalist David Attenborough told British lawmakers on Tuesday it would be essential to stick to a new target to decarbonize the economy, warning that failure to tackle climate change could lead to massive social unrest.

Attenborough, one of the world’s most influential wildlife broadcasters, said Britain’s move last month to become the first G7 country to commit to a goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 could help galvanize broader international action.

“It’s a tough target. It’s not an easy statement to have made, and it’s going to cost money,” Attenborough told a hearing of parliament’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee. “It’s actually a practical commitment, and I hope to goodness that we can achieve it and stick by it.”

Attenborough, who has become increasingly outspoken about risks posed by the climate crisis in recent years, added: “It’s absolutely essential that it should be done … if we’re going to avoid massive social unrest.”

Attenborough had earlier told the hearing that he drew hope from an upsurge in environmental activism by a younger generation aware that they would bear the brunt of climate impacts as the crisis worsened in coming decades.

“The problems in 20-30 years are going to be major problems that are going to cause great social unrest, changes in what we eat, how we live,” Attenborough said.“The most encouraging thing I see is that the electorate of tomorrow is already making their voice very, very clear.”

Attenborough, the man behind the “Planet Earth” and “Blue Planet” documentaries, also said that the environmental impact of air travel should be factored into ticket prices.

“If you cost that, you would see that the tickets are extraordinarily cheap,” he said.

Trump says UK ambassador 'a very stupid guy'!!!!

Pic-->USA President Donald Trump/WP

Exclusive News-->The UK's "wacky" ambassador to the US is "a very stupid guy" Donald Trump has said, amid a row over leaked emails.

This came after Downing Street reaffirmed its "full support" for Sir Kim Darroch.

On Sunday emails revealed the ambassador had called the Trump administration "clumsy and inept".

Sir Kim will now no longer meet the president's daughter Ivanka Trump as scheduled on Tuesday, the BBC has been told.

Mr Trump tweeted: "The wacky Ambassador that the U.K. foisted upon the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy.

"He should speak to his country, and Prime Minister May, about their failed Brexit negotiation, and not be upset with my criticism of how badly it was handled."I told @theresa_may how to do that deal, but she went her own foolish way-was unable to get it done. A disaster!

"I don't know the Ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool. Tell him the USA now has the best Economy & Military anywhere in the World, by far...and they are both only getting bigger, better and stronger...Thank you, Mr. President!"Confidential emails from the UK's ambassador, leaked to the Mail on Sunday,contained a string of criticisms of Mr Trump and his administration, and said the White House was "uniquely dysfunctional" and divided under his presidency.

Sir Kim, who became ambassador to the US in January 2016 about a year before Mr Trump took office, questioned whether this White House "will ever look competent" but also warned that the US president should not be written off.

The emails, dating from 2017, said rumours of "infighting and chaos" in the White House were mostly true and policy on sensitive issues such as Iran was "incoherent, chaotic".

Speaking on Monday following Mr Trump's initial comments on the leaked emails, Downing Street said the prime minister did not agree with Sir Kim's assessment but had "full faith" in him.On Tuesday morning, before the president's latest comments, a Downing Street spokesman said: "We have made clear to the US how unfortunate this leak is. The selective extracts leaked do not reflect the closeness of, and the esteem in which we hold, the relationship."

But he said ambassadors needed to be able to provide honest assessments of the politics in their country, and the prime minister stood by Sir Kim.

"The UK has a special and enduring relationship with the US based on our long history and commitment to shared values and that will continue to be the case," he said.

New UK PM must put Brexit plan to second referendum - Labour's Corbyn

Special political reporter(wp/reuters):::
Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday said Britain’s next prime minister must put their Brexit plan to a second referendum on European Union membership, saying his party would campaign to remain.

In an email to members, Corbyn said Labour would campaign to stay in the EU to stop a new Conservative Party leader, who will be chosen later this month, taking Britain out of the bloc without a divorce deal or to stop what he called a “damaging” Brexit.

The move by Corbyn inches the opposition party closer to heeding demands from many Labour members and some lawmakers to unequivocally embrace a second referendum to break the impasse in parliament over how to leave the EU.

But it might not be enough to satisfy all in his party, falling short of campaigning for a second referendum in any circumstance - a position some wanted to adopt to counter a challenge from the pro-EU, smaller Liberal Democrats.

Brexit has brought down Prime Minister Theresa May, who failed three times to get the divorce deal she agreed with the EU ratified by parliament.

Former foreign minister and London mayor Boris Johnson is battling current foreign minister Jeremy Hunt to replace her as party leader and prime minister. Johnson, who says he will take Britain out of the EU with or without a deal, is favourite.

“Whoever becomes the new prime minister should have the confidence to put their deal, or no deal, back to the people in a public vote,” Corbyn said.

“In those circumstances, I want to make it clear that Labour would campaign for Remain against either no deal or a Tory (Conservative) deal that does not protect the economy and jobs.”

What he did not say in his mail was what his party would campaign for in a parliamentary election - something the veteran socialist renewed his call for by saying: “We need a Labour government to end austerity and rebuild our country for the many not the few”.

More than three years since voting 52% to 48% to leave the EU, Britain’s two main parties, its parliament and cities and towns across the country are still deeply divided over Brexit, opening the way for smaller parties to grab some share of the vote.With Labour struggling in some opinion polls, some in the party want it to adopt a clearer message to tackle the twin challenges from the pro-EU Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party, led by veteran eurosceptic Nigel Farage.

Corbyn, an instinctive critic of the EU, has so far resisted calls to make his party a wholesale supporter of a second referendum, keen to keep on board Labour Brexit supporters.

Chuka Umunna, a former Labour lawmaker who has joined the Liberal Democrats, said on Twitter: “Yet another fudge, where the Labour leadership keep open the door to standing on a pro-Brexit platform in a general election or supporting it in government.”