Monbiot: Climate Nihilism Replaces Denial in British Press
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- Allister Heath, editor of the Sunday Telegraph, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that 'the war against global warming has been lost' and Britain should ditch net zero and 'learn to cope' with a warmer, drier Mediterranean climate
- Heath described cutting emissions as 'suicidal empathy' and argued 'there will be plenty of losers, but it is pointless seeking to prevent the inevitable' — with his column landing the same day drought was declared across half of England
- George Monbiot counters that renewables are already cheaper than fossil fuels in nearly all situations, and that global climate action depends on mutual trust — if rich nations free-ride, an effective response collapses in 'a circle of finger-pointing'
- Monbiot notes the Trump administration has spent billions trying to kill clean energy and sustain coal burning, arguing this resistance — not market forces — is what keeps fossil fuels competitive despite their higher cost
- Some climate models suggest rising temperatures could cause the Atlantic current system to stall, plunging Britain into extreme cold rather than the Mediterranean warmth Heath is promising
- Reform UK echoes the nihilist line ('we are better to adapt to warming, rather than pretend we can stop it'), though Telegraph colleagues Ambrose Evans-Pritchard and Tim Stanley broke ranks to argue for rising to the climate challenge
- The 'Mediterranean life' Heath praises is itself collapsing: wine is becoming 'smoke tainted' by wildfires and southern European food production faces grave risk from the same drought and heatwaves Britain is being told to welcome
Why it matters: Heath's column marks a pivot from climate denial to climate nihilism in mainstream British conservative media, arguing the war is lost even as England declares drought. Renewables are already cheaper than fossil fuels in nearly all situations, so Heath's 'free market' argument rests on resistance to clean energy — yet two Telegraph columnists breaking ranks shows the consensus is not unanimous.
