Climate challenge ahead of us cannot be overstated - Ian Murray

The wildfires in Greece, Italy and the US and the extreme temperatures in southern Europe have caused both personal tragedy and international alarm.

The lack of political will from Rishi Sunak and his government to tackle humankind's largest existential threat is terrifying, says Ian Murray

This July we have some parts of the world underwater with extreme rainfall and others on fire. It has been made crystal clear by climate experts that the toxic global heatwaves have resulted from global warming.

With temperatures on the continent climbing to the high 40s, deadly fires shutting down Italian airports and the Greek Prime Minister proclaiming that his nation is “at war” with the wildfires, the climate crisis has yet again been cast into sharp relief.

Edinburgh and Scotland is not immune as our weather becomes more extreme and unpredictable.

In March of this year, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned us that “there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all”.

But the latest research from the IPCC should be a wake-up call as to just how fast we are accelerating into irreversible damage.

On the recent record-breaking temperatures, experts have now found that carbon emissions made the heatwaves 2.5 degrees hotter in Europe, two degrees hotter in North America, and one degree hotter in China than if the global atmosphere has remained undamaged. That may not sound like much, but it can have devastating consequences.

This sobering news means that the images we now see of residents and holidaymakers fleeing their homes and hotels, seeking shelter in leisure centres or sleeping rough on beaches will likely become a regular summer story.

The scale of the challenge ahead of us cannot be overstated and the lack of political will from Rishi Sunak and his government to tackle humankind’s largest existential threat is terrifying.

The Prime Minister’s apathy has been neatly captured in the comments made by someone who worked closely with him on climate issues, stating: “He’s just not interested in it.”

These comments are emboldened by the recently leaked government document that has been condemned by climate experts as “very weak”. Not only this but the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) Progress reducing emissions 2023 Report to Parliament has highlighted a total of 18 failures from the UK Government from planning to renewables to global climate leadership. The Scottish governments record is no better. The CCC published the sobering line that “The UK has lost its clear global leadership position on climate”.

With an election looming in the next year, one of Labour’s key missions is to make the UK a clean energy superpower and provide the climate leadership the country needs. The creation of GB Energy – a new home-grown, publicly-owned champion in clean energy generation – will build supply chains and create jobs here.

The establishment of a National Wealth Fund will create good, well-paying jobs by investing alongside the private sector in giga-factories, clean steel plants, renewables-ready ports, green hydrogen and energy storage.

And our Warm Homes Plan will upgrade 19 million properties so that families have cheaper energy bills permanently, with warm homes.

With shovels in the ground and cranes in the sky, a Labour government will help Britain lead the world in cheaper, cleaner power and green jobs. Winning the global race is a must for country and planet. This Labour policy alone is worth backing at the election.

Ian Murray is Labour MP for Edinburgh South