The Independent: "Tories’ scepticism about climate change melts after winter floods – in their constituencies"

"John Gummer tells Tom Bawden a thawing in attitudes is down to recent bad weather, and a tide of scientific evidence"

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"Senior Tories have shed their scepticism about climate change after winter floods wreaked havoc on rural constituencies and scientists debunked key sceptic arguments, according to John Gummer, the government’s top independent climate advisor.

"In an interview with The Independent, Mr Gummer – life peer Lord Deben – acknowledged that the rise of the climate-sceptic UK Independence Party meant environmentalists might have to 'fight more' for green causes in future.

"But he said that this was offset by a growing acceptance of the dangers posed by climate change among Tory MPs and members who had previously been reluctant to take the issue seriously.

" 'There is a countervailing thing happening. There’s less of the climate dismissing in the Conservative party now than there was six months ago,' said Lord Deben, a former Tory Environment Secretary under John Major in the mid-1990s."