Reform councillors’ move to rescind Kent County Council’s Climate Emergency Declaration draws upon the dodgiest of justifications, dismissing accepted science in favour of conspiracy theories.
Former Hythe West County Councillor Martin Whybrow proposed the original declaration when he was the only Green on KCC.
This district is vulnerable to coastal erosion and rising sea levels. Farmers have to deal with heatwaves and other severe weather events as these become more frequent. In the last two years, Romney Marsh has come close to being flooded by exceptionally heavy rainfall and Folkestone has suffered several landslips.
Reform claim that the science is unsettled, the UK’s role is negligible, and that Net Zero policies threaten freedoms and are too costly. This briefing provides evidence-based rebuttals to their key claims.
“Declaring an emergency hasn’t affected the world’s climate”
No single council can “fix” the global climate, but declarations set priorities and unlock action. Since 2019, more than 80% of UK councils have declared climate emergencies, shaping procurement, planning, and energy policy.
“The science isn’t settled – many scientists disagree”
The Met Office, Royal Society, UK Climate Change Committee (CCC) and 97% of climate scientists agree that warming is real and human-driven. Only a small number of the signatories to the World Climate Declaration are climate scientists, and some have links to the oil industry or climate-sceptic organisations. By contrast, the International Panel on Climate Change reports represent the largest scientific consensus exercise in history, reviewed by thousands of experts.
“Climate has always changed – current warming is natural”
Yes, there are natural cycles, but past warm periods were regional and slower. Today’s warming is global and accelerating. Analysis of carbon isotopes proves that the rise in CO2 comes from burning fossil fuels, not volcanoes or the sun.
“Weather records are unreliable – urban heat islands distort data”
The Met Office corrects for urban effects; results are confirmed by satellites, ocean buoys, and by studying glaciers. Even excluding urban weather stations, the UK’s 10 hottest years on record have all been since 2002, and 2022 was the UK’s hottest year ever recorded.
“CO2 is tiny and mostly natural – it’s even beneficial”
Small amounts can have huge effects (like trace toxins). Human activity has raised CO2 from 280 parts per million (ppm) to over 420 ppm in just 150 years, fossil fuels disturbing the natural balance. Short-term crop boosts are outweighed by droughts, floods, and heat stress that cuts yields.
“The UK is only 0.77% of emissions – Kent’s role is unmeasurable”
By that logic, no country should act. Collectively, small shares make a big difference. The UK is the eighth largest historical emitter and was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. That gives us a responsibility to lead. Local action supports national Net Zero commitments and gives us a say in shaping the solutions.
“Other factors matter more: sun, volcanoes, magnetic poles”
Solar activity has been flat or declining since the 1970s, while global temperatures have soared. Volcanoes release less than 1% of annual human CO2 emissions. These factors are accounted for in scientific models – and they cannot explain the observed warming.
“Claims about polar bears, sea level, and Antarctic ice are exaggerated”
The global average sea level rise is now accelerating at more than 4mm per year – threatening low-lying UK coastal areas like Romney Marsh. West Antarctica is losing ice at record rates. Polar bears populations are threatened by sea-ice loss. Some local numbers are stable but their longer-term survival is at risk, just as it is for many other animal and plant species.
“Net Zero threatens freedoms – 15-minute cities, carbon budgets, meat bans”
Net Zero focuses on improving housing, transport, and energy systems. It is about resilience, not control. People shouldn’t be subjected to scaremongering around things that, often, no one is even proposing.
“Net Zero costs £800bn – unaffordable.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility warns that inaction over things like flooding, damage to infrastructure and impacts on health costs more than taking preventative action. Net Zero creates jobs and supports British manufacturing.
Renewables such as offshore wind are now cheaper than fossil fuels and reduce the UK’s reliance on imported gas. Battery storage has made renewable energy far more viable, allowing excess renewable energy to be stored on sunny or windy days, then released when demand is high or generation is low.
