Prince William is quite right about climate change

Not, we hasten to add, in the details of what he says, but the overall statement is entirely correct:

Prince William says ‘politics gets in the way’ of fight against climate change

The problem being that politics means that we don’t, can’t, solve climate change the way that the science says it should be solved.

Politics brings us things like a ban on fracking - when the IPCC’s own reports say that the worst outcome, RCP 8.5, depends upon us not using unconventional oil and gas. Politics brings us instead things like onshore wind which, being less energy dense, requires even more of our green and pleasant land. Politics means less nuclear and more lignite in Germany - exactly what the IPCC identifies as the way to gain that RCP 8.5 disaster.

Politics has given us biofuels which not only put food into cars, not people, they also have higher emissions than just burning petrol. Politics means burning American forests in Drax is counted as carbon neutral - an absurdity.

As the actual science tells us, Stern, Nordhaus, 93% of polled economists - even if we assume that everything the IPCC, in its most lurid nightmares, tells us is true - the answer is a carbon tax at the social cost of carbon. This, according to politics, cannot be done as it will be regressive. This from the same people who gleefully impose regressive taxes on tabs, booze and sweeties.

Politics is the reason that we’re not dealing with climate change the cheap, effective and efficient way. So, yes, Prince William is right there.

Even if we assume everything we’re told is true the solution is indeed that carbon tax, possibly with a slight trimming of the hems afterwards. We don’t have that so, yes, politics is to blame, isn’t it?