Only strong policies can deliver a world free of fossil fuels | Angus MacNeil

Britian needs a clear and consistent approach to meet its Paris climate pledge - and that means embracing clean energy, says Energy and Climate Change Committee chair, Angus MacNeil

Oil tankers take a long time to turn around. The skyscraper-length ships carry so much weight and momentum that turning one 180 degrees takes at least 40 minutes even in calm seas. It is a fitting metaphor for the challenge our leaders face at the climate summit in Paris as they try to steer a new direction away from fossil fuels.

Decades of dirty energy investment, the dead-weight of vested interests, shifting political tides and - let's be honest - cheap fossil fuel prices, mean that changing the world's entire energy system to remove the carbon causing climate change will also be a slow turnaround.