Boris Johnson has drawn criticism after flying from London to Cornwall to attend the G7 summit, where climate change will be on the agenda.
The Prime Minister tweeted a picture of himself emerging from an aircraft late this afternoon pledging to ask "fellow leaders to rise to the challenge of beating the pandemic and building back better, fairer and greener."
Later, he visited ScottishPower’s Carland Cross wind farm Wednesday, where he helped install the first solar panels at the new hybrid energy site.
During his visit, he hailed the energy park as a “big step forward” which provides “a bright and exciting vision into a carbon-free future”.
However, his decision to travel the 230 miles between the UK capital and Newquay by plane was greeted with opprobrium from some quarters, with Twitter users were quick to point out that air travel was a contributor to greenhouse gas emmisions, one of the main drivers of man-made climate change.
One said: "Hitting a new tone deaf low. Private jet to travel London to Cornwall?"
Another added: "'Greener' he says, arriving in Cornwall by plane when a direct rail connection from London exists."
A Twitter user said: "I don't know what's worse. Taking a plane from London to Cornwall or all the hot air emitting from this buffoon in the first place."
I’ve arrived in Cornwall for this year’s @G7 where I’ll be asking my fellow leaders to rise to the challenge of beating the pandemic and building back better, fairer and greener.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 9, 2021
It will be a busy and important Summit, and I can’t wait to get started.#G7UK pic.twitter.com/H4VSQ2SCD6
Mr Johnson made the 35-minute journey on 200-seat chartered Airbus A321.
According to Business Insider’s analysis of Government data, the trip produced 97.5kg of greenhouse gases per passenger - more than five times as many as if he’d taken the train.
Labour ’s Shadow Environment Secretary Luke Pollard said the trip was “plane stupid.”
He said: “There’s no trainline from Cornwall to Washington or Tokyo but there is to London.
“The Prime Minister should have taken the train not got a plane.”
This is how serious Boris Johnson is about combating the climate emergency: He flew to Cornwall. https://t.co/Yitlocr1zl
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) June 9, 2021
Upon his arrival in Newquay, the Prime Minister defended his mode of transport.
He said: “If you attack my arrival by plane, I respectfully point out the UK is actually in the lead in developing sustainable aviation fuel, and one of the points in the 10 point plan of our green industrial revolution, is to get to 'jet zero' as well."
Lib Dem climate spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said: “At a global summit with climate change at the forefront of the agenda and with the UK hosting a climate change conference in the autumn the Prime Minister's choice to fly to Cornwall from London is laughably out of touch."
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