Local elections are coming up in Britain on the 1^st May and there have been increasing attacks on the idea of ‘net zero’ from some political parties. The idea of net zero and climate change is being characterised as left-wing, expensive and pointless. The truth is climate change and the race to get to net zero by 2050 has nothing to do with political ideology and is a scientific problem in the real world affecting all of us.

Getting to net zero carbon emissions is a solution to climate change; just the same as the COVID vaccine is a solution to getting the COVID virus under control. Vaccines are not solutions to economic and social concerns such as the functioning of markets, producing good public services or inequality. Vaccines are a solution to a problem relating to the physical world in the same way as net zero is a solution to climate change.

Also, it is expensive NOT to do anything about climate change. Climate change has already cost the world $2.8 trillion over the past twenty years due to damage from extreme weather events. This is the equivalent of $16 million an hour. The cost of climate change is predicted to rise fast in the future, causing $38 trillion a year by 2049. Investing in flood defences and infrastructure to reduce our carbon footprint and restore ecosystems is simply sensible because it will keep us safer from extreme weather and enable us to carry on with our lives.

What does ‘left-wing’ and ‘right-wing’ mean?

‘Left wing’ and ‘right wing’ are confusing terms with a lot of ideas tacked onto them. The categories of ‘left wing’ and ‘right wing’ are social constructs that were invented in France in the 18^th century and came to the USA at a later point. After the Russian revolution in 1917, politicians, historians and intellectuals increasingly referred to politics in ‘left’ and ‘right’ terms.

Over the course of the 20^th century, ‘left wing’ has been associated with expansive government, using language of ‘change’ and ‘reform’. ‘Right wing’ has been associated with limited government using language of ‘traditional’ and ‘preservation’. Since the early 1950s, the ideological system has spread across the globe, with ideological labels combining with an ideological political spectrum. These labels are social constructs, meaning they come to exist by collective agreement, not because they are naturally occurring in our environment. It is the same as other concepts such as gender, race, disability, age and childhood.

Climate change is a scientific problem not an economic or political problem

Science studies the physical world rather than the social world and scientists collect data from the physical environment to analyse it. Climate change is a scientific problem relating to the physical world. It is not a social construct but an observable event happening in our physical environment. This is the same as observing the COVID virus spreading globally. The goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is a solution to climate change because the world should stop warming up once we reach that state. Although it does have economic consequences, it is not a solution for any economic or social problem. So, wherever you are on the political spectrum, climate change should be a concern for everyone. It essentially comes down to whether you want to believe in facts and evidence about changes happening in our physical environment.