Burnham sets out wildfires response

Reacting to plans set out by the prime minister today to respond to the wildfires across the UK, Friends of the Earth's head of policy Mike Childs, said:

"With temperatures soaring, crops wilting and wildfires taking hold, it's good to hear the Prime Minister break his silence on climate change.

"Our emergency services clearly need more resources to better prepare for extreme events. But we can't just treat the symptoms - we must also tackle the root cause.

"Without urgent action to curb the carbon emissions driving this crisis, future heatwaves, droughts and wildfires will only get worse and the ability for future generations to adapt will disappear.

"Andy Burnham must demonstrate that he understands both the causes and effects of the climate emergency by rejecting a third runway at Heathrow and ruling out new oil and gas developments like Rosebank and Jackdaw."

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