Chris Packham leads scientists in oil and gas licence protest in Westminster

Conservationist and TV presenter Chris Packham led a climate change protest by more than 100 scientists in Westminster on Monday. The group gathered outside the Houses of Parliament to greet MPs and demand that they stop sanctioning future licences for oil and gas. They held signs that read ‘The science is clear, no new oil’, and ‘100 licences to kill’. In a statement, Mr Packham said now is the time for scientists to ‘shout the truth’ about ‘climate breakdown’. ‘Sadly, telling the truth has not been enough, it’s now become necessary for scientists to shout the truth about climate breakdown,’ he said. ‘All we ask is that that our principal decision-makers listen before the screaming starts.’ The protest was held was in response to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement to ‘max out’ North Sea oil and gas production through approval of more than 100 new drilling licences, the statement added. Professor Jeff Waage, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said fossil fuel extraction must be stopped before humanity faces ‘catastrophic consequences’. ‘The process by which rational science informs political decision making has broken down in this Government ,’ he said. ‘The extreme weather events that we are seeing around the world validate the predictions of climate modelling. ‘That science also tells us that we must stop fossil fuel extraction now or face catastrophic consequences for humanity.’