Climate change forecasts 'exaggerated', ex-environment secretary Owen Paterson claims

Telegraph

The effects of climate change have been "consistently and widely exaggerated" in scientific forecasts, Owen Paterson, the sacked environment secretary, has claimed.

In a speech to climate sceptic think tank the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF) on Wednesday, Mr Paterson will say that there is "considerable uncertainty" over the extent to which carbon dioxide emissions will cause global warming.

"Over the past 35 years, the earth’s atmosphere has warmed nothing like as fast as forecast and over the last 18 years it has not warmed at all, according to some sources," he will say, claiming "many policymakers have still to catch up with the facts".

Mr Paterson argues that the UK should scrap the Climate Change Act, which binds the UK to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions, and pursue an alternative energy strategy."