On Monday, 7th January, the Sylvans debated the motion ‘this House believes the UK needs to invest urgently to slow climate change and improve air quality.’
It was proposed by Gwyn Redgers and opposed by Ross Hunter.
The debate ranged across a number of environment-related topics. We heard several impassioned pleas for improvements to our environment, as well as a few climate change sceptics. The proposer cited strong consensus among scientists regarding the need for urgent investment, to stop the planetary temperature increasing by more than 1.5 degrees C, and the significant impact if it were to rise by the 3 degrees we are currently on course to hit. The opposer brought up a number of points about air pollution, which he viewed as an underappreciated subject related to the environment, and linked to the need to shift from fossil fuels to electrically-powered transportation. The potential for decreasing costs of renewable energy and new technologies such as geo-engineering to mitigate carbon emissions were discussed. Floor speeches considered a number of aspects of the topic, from the ’emotional’ investment of people in climate change to practical tips to reduce energy usage. In the end, the debate largely hinged on whether rapid, additional investment was required over and above existing government plans and private investments in renewables.
In a close vote, the motion was defeated.