I don’t know much about the science of climate change (or the science of anything else, for that matter) but what I heard and read this week about the breaching of the 400 parts per million of carbon in the atmosphere was genuinely scary. The earth hasn’t been this hot since about three million years ago, long before humanity evolved. ‘Gaia’ may well find that the extinction of humanity is in the best long term interests of the system. It’s clearer to me than ever that socialism must be combined with environmentalism. It’s a pity, a real shame, that so many of the so-called ‘Green’ parties have made their peace with capitalism: the system that has, without a doubt, brought about this development. It was interesting, too, to hear on BBC Radio 4 an interview with a climate change scientist who confirmed that nearly 20 years of efforts to reduce carbon emissions have had zero nett effect and that, moreover, coal usage by 2035 will be three times what it currently is as coal is the ultimate ‘low cost’ fuel, indispensable to industrialisation.
And, sticking to the topic at hand, Philips is a particularly unedifying example of the ‘right turn’. I bet, however, that is probably richer than she ever imagined. If there is one thing to be said for formerly ‘Left’ high profile journalists who turn right, for them personally, it’s probably a wise career move and would be endorsed by their accountants.