British Greens Are Forced to Fund a Climate Denier Campaign

British environmentalists have recently found themselves in the strange position of funding an advertising billboard campaign that reads: "'Green' Climate Policies: Probably Unnecessary, Certainly Ineffectual, and Ruinously Expensive."

Did someone forget to tell me it was 'opposite day'?

Not exactly.

The situation actually has come about because Roger Helmer, a conservative member of parliament representing the East Midlands region, is using £9,000 ($14,000) of U.K. taxpayer money to promote his pet views about climate change, according to The Guardian. (Hat tip from Treehugger) The ads are running for 2 weeks in Derby, Leicester, Northampton, Lincoln and Nottingham, and are only the latest in Helmer's long track record of denial that humans are causing the earth to warm at unprecedented rates, as evidenced by his website: www.rogerhelmer.com.

But while Helmer is entitled to his own opinion—and as an elected official, he has more than enough of a platform to promote those views—he is not entitled to waste taxpayer money in pushing his own extreme agenda, which just happens to be egregiously wrong. The Guardian reporter uncovered that the billboards are being paid for by the "information fund" of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group,  one of 7 EU parliament caucuses funded entirely by the parliament.

In this light, the taxpayer-funded anti-green advertising campaign is just a tad bit hypocritical: Helmer is a declared enemy of government waste and, geez, it's not even election season. What's more Helmer's own party, The Conservative Party, does not agree with his beliefs, and in fact is itself "committed" to tackling climate change. Neither does the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, the campaign's backers.

So what gives?

The ECR is trying to disavow itself of responsibility for the billboards, saying that it does not "vet or stipulate the message being promoted in any campaign reliant on its 'information fund.'" But if the ECR is not screening any campaigns, that makes it a bit more of a 'disinformation fund,' doesn't it?

It's unlikely that Helmer will ever change his views, and it's unfortunate that representatives like him are elected. But while we can't do much to change what Helmer says, what we can do is make sure he is not given more space to air and spread those views to the general public.  Tell the ECR that it should disavow the ads and make amends by funding a real "information" advertising campaign about the threats that climate change poses.

Right now, Roger Helmer is at the global climate treaty negotiations in Cancun, Mexico, attempting to throw fire bombs as U.K. diplomats work hard to help nations agree to limit their greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, British citizens are increasingly speaking out about the lack of progress so far, marching on the British Parliament last week to support faster progress at the talks.

"It makes it all the more crucial that we transform the politics behind that impasse and we can start at home," said Phil Thornhill of the Campaign Against Climate Change.

Residents and community groups of the East Midland region, Helmer's home base where the ads are running, are certainly working to grow their use of renewable energy and implement climate solutions at the ground level.

But starting at home also means making sure British citizens don't stand for Helmer's disinformation tactics. Sign this petition to the ECR now telling them to revoke the ad campaign.

Photo credit: Michael Gwyther-Jones via Flickr

Follow Change.org’s Environment page on Facebook and Twitter.