Tony Blair: 'Heavy price' for climate inaction

[Pappa]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11181330

World leaders may pay a heavy price in history if they fail to tackle global warming, Tony Blair has warned.

He said politicians did not have to wait for chaotic climate change in order for them to act.

The risks of not cutting emissions, given the potentially massive consequences, was enough to justify action, he told BBC Radio 4.

The former prime minister added that it had always been a struggle to explain the uncertainties in climate science.

He told Radio 4's Uncertain Climate documentary: "It's very hard to say 'this is the precise warming there's going to be, this is the maximum amount you can allow this (emissions) to continue'."

He took advice while in 10 Downing Street from the government chief scientist at the time, Professor David King and the President of the Royal Society, Lord May.

"They were very rightly and properly saying there's areas of uncertainty here but if you want a judgement from us as government scientists, then our judgement is this is a serious problem that needs global action to deal with it," he added.

"I was never in the situation of total certainty here and indeed I always used to say to the NGO people (pressure groups) and others (to) be careful you don't end up in a situation where you are claiming that something is certain when it isn't absolutely certain.
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"But it doesn't need to be certain for us to act. It just needs to be likely, probable or actually even - if you look at the consequences possible because if you find out 2030 or 2040 'that was a real problem, we should have dealt with that', you're going to pay a pretty heavy price in history."

In the first part of the documentary, broadcast last week, Mr Blair said he did not agree with Gordon Brown or Ed Miliband who called climate sceptics "flat earthers" and "deniers".

He said these were the wrong terms as the science contained uncertainties. He said it was far better to express the issue as one of risk.

The documentary points out that under Mr Blair's tenure as prime minister, emissions in the UK actually rose if embedded emissions from goods imported into the UK were included in the national figures.

[Tigger]

Because he's a twat.

[Warren Dew]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

[Pappa]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

I don't think that happened because of anything he actually did though.

[AnInconvenientScotsman]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

I don't think that happened because of anything he actually did though.

So we blame everything bad that happened under him on him, then dismiss the good stuff?

[Pappa]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

I don't think that happened because of anything he actually did though.

So we blame everything bad that happened under him on him, then dismiss the good stuff?

No.... he just did almost nothing positive on the matter. From my perspective he was only interested in Kyoto because of the kudos and legacy possibilities. He did nothing at the domestic level at all.

[Tigger]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

I don't think that happened because of anything he actually did though.

So we blame everything bad that happened under him on him, then dismiss the good stuff?

What good stuff did he do?

[Pappa]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

I don't think that happened because of anything he actually did though.

So we blame everything bad that happened under him on him, then dismiss the good stuff?

What good stuff did he do?

The NHS got a bit better, I think.

[Tigger]

If an abortive/ed spending commitment of £20 billion on a stupid computer system, failing hygiene standards and understaffing are improvements, then maybe. But yes, there were supposed to have been some improvements I agree.

[Thinking Aloud]

If an abortive/ed spending commitment of £20 billion on a stupid computer system, failing hygiene standards and understaffing are improvements, then maybe. But yes, there were supposed to have been some improvements I agree.

I went to hospital before the General Election (I think), and didn't die. Maybe that was his legacy. Maybe it's ME!

[RuleBritannia]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

I don't think that happened because of anything he actually did though.

So we blame everything bad that happened under him on him, then dismiss the good stuff?

What good stuff did he do?

National minimum wage, Good Friday Argeement?

[Pappa]

National minimum wage, Good Friday Argeement?

OK.... we'll concede those.

The Good Friday Agreement comes under "legacy building" in my mind though.

[Tigger]

He is a cunt, though.

[Pappa]

He is a cunt, though.

The only thing the Tories ever got right....

[Horwood Beer-Master]

Well, why did you do almost nothing about it while you were PM, you twat?

To be fair, I believe he was the prime minister under which Kyoto was ratified, and under him the UK was the only country actually meeting its Kyoto targets for a while.

Under him the cost of travelling by public transport relative to the cost of travelling by car shot up.