The Guardian view on Labour and net zero politics: lean in and ignore bad advice | Editorial

Sir Tony Blair's ill-conceived contribution to the climate debate was a political gift to Nigel Farage. But public support for the green transition remains strong

The Climate Change Committee's latest report on the UK's response to unprecedented environmental challenges makes for grim reading. Recalling the extreme weather swings of the last few years - which delivered both the wettest 18 months on record and the largest number of wildfires - the report's authors deplore the current inadequacy of provision to protectthe nation against risks which are now a lethal reality. The threat represented by flooding, said the chair of the committee's adaptation group, Lady Brown, is not tomorrow's problem. It's today's problem. And if we don't do something about it, it will become tomorrow's disaster."

An assessment so scathing, from such a source, deserved to be at the centre of political discussion ahead of Thursday's local elections. Instead, Wednesday's front pages were dominated by a considerably less useful contribution to the climate debate. In a foreword to a report from his eponymous Tony Blair Institute (TBI), Sir Tony Blair suggested that governments should dial down efforts to limit the use of fossil fuels in the short term, or risk alienating voters allegedly put off by the irrationality" and cost of green policies. Politicians' focus, he insisted, should shift to investing speculatively in technologies for the future such as carbon capture and storage.

Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.