Tackling Climate Change
5:48 pm
Peter Ainsworth (East Surrey, Conservative)
I congratulate my right hon. Friend Mr. Letwin on tabling the motion and enabling the House to debate this important issue and Norman Baker on his cross-party initiative. This is clearly an issue that transcends party politics and I welcome the joint approach of the Opposition parties, which, I hope, will be embraced by the Government in due course.
It is a pleasure to follow Mr. Martlew, who spoke eloquently about the local nature of climate change. When it comes home in that way, people really experience its effects, but it is a huge global issue. Every time that we discuss climate change in the House, the problem has become worse. Hurricane Katrina may or may not have been caused by climate change, but it gave us a preview of life after extreme climate change, including the collapse of social order, the loss of life and the destruction of property, all of which the scientists have warned us about.