The briefing, organized by the cross-party parliamentary group on climate change, will be an updated version of the slides shown by the chief science adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, to Boris Johnson ahead of the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow on November. But the APPG told the Guardian that less than 10% of MPs had registered to attend. The slides, which are to be presented at 3.30 p.m. on Monday, show the latest climate science, including the increase in carbon dioxide concentration and global average temperatures in recent decades. Johnson credited them with giving him a “road to Damascus” on climate change. He said then: “I got them [government scientists] cut through it all, and if you look at the almost vertical upward shift in the temperature graph, human-caused climate change, it’s very hard to argue with. It was a very important moment for me.” The update was made possible after campaigner Angus Rose went on a 37-day hunger strike outside parliament, demanding the information be given to all MPs. It was backed by 79 of the UK’s leading climate scientists in an open letter, who said an update similar to those given during the Covid-19 pandemic would be useful for MPs. The briefing, which will cover the health, environmental and other impacts of the climate emergency relevant to UK citizens, will be updated to take account of recent IPCC reports, which warned: “We are in a crossroads. The decisions we make now can ensure a sustainable future. We have the tools and know-how needed to limit warming.” Scientists and politicians hope the assembled MPs will be motivated to demand more urgent action to tackle the climate crisis. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP who runs the APPG, urged her colleagues to attend. He said: “It is three years since Parliament declared a climate emergency, yet ministers are still ignoring scientists’ dire warnings of a climate emergency and MPs are still not fully informed about the latest climate science. “So it is very welcome that the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser and a team of climate scientists are going to inform MPs and their colleagues and answer their questions, thanks in no small part to the actions of Angus Rose. “[I] will urge MPs from all parties to attend and equip themselves with the knowledge and understanding they need to protect us now and in the future.” Vallance’s team have been contacted for comment.
