Key facts
- The Telegraph published a news report highlighting the UK's warming climate and the threat of wildfires.
- Columnist Tim Stanley argued that climate change is real and the political right must seriously engage with it.
- Ambrose Evans-Pritchard criticized Kemi Badenoch's opposition to net zero targets, calling it "climate nihilism".
- Allister Heath, editor of the Sunday Telegraph, concluded that "the war against global warming has been lost" but advocated for adaptation.
- Kemi Badenoch stated she opposes the "political programme" of achieving net zero by 2050, not the climate crisis itself.
- The recent coverage follows the Telegraph's acquisition by German media company Axel Springer.
The Telegraph, a publication often critical of green policies, has recently published a series of articles addressing climate change, sparking debate about a potential shift in its stance and the broader discourse on the right. A recent news report highlighted the UK's warming climate and the threat of wildfires, a piece that raised eyebrows given the newspaper's history of climate skepticism.
This coverage follows a column by Tim Stanley, who argued that climate change is real and the political right needs to take it seriously. World economy editor Ambrose Evans-Pritchard further intensified the discussion by criticizing Kemi Badenoch, a Conservative party leader, for her opposition to net zero targets, accusing her of "climate nihilism" and suggesting the Tories had become "Trumpian" on the issue.
Allister Heath, editor of the Sunday Telegraph, also contributed by stating that "the war against global warming has been lost" but emphasized the need for Britain to adapt. Badenoch responded by clarifying that her opposition is to the "political programme" of achieving net zero by 2050, rather than denying the climate crisis itself.
The flurry of articles has led some climate experts to question if the Telegraph's view, and the wider debate on the right, is evolving. This comes after the newspaper was acquired by German media company Axel Springer, which owns Politico and Die Welt and aims to establish the Telegraph as a global player on the center-right. Insiders suggest the pieces were not a result of an internal directive but rather an editor's inclination for generating discussion, potentially reflecting a schism within the Conservative party over climate policy.
Some observers believe these pieces represent center-right voices speaking out following Badenoch's decision to ban candidates who did not align with the party line on net zero. Others note that internal reader research at the Telegraph indicated a desire for climate action among its readership. While welcomed by pro-green Tories, some climate coverage monitors conclude that the overall approach of the Telegraph has not fundamentally changed, pointing to the editorial column ultimately backing Badenoch's stance.