I know they are not for everyone, but I love rollercoasters, with their mash up of anticipation, exhilaration and anxiety. There’s something about their manic twists and turns, and grindingly slow climbs to a peak followed by a gut-wrenching drop into a trough. Some even have a corkscrew, where you briefly don’t know which way is up.
You might think it an appropriate metaphor for the present state of UK politics but consider another ride I remember that was called the Black Hole. In near total darkness it plummeted downwards in a death spiral at breakneck speed.

After the crashing end of the disaster that was Truss’s brief attempt at government, the hope was that Sunak would be a steadying influence as Prime Minister. It was an all too short moment of hope, brought rudely back to earth with the announcement of his new cabinet, which included the removal from cabinet meetings of the UK’s president of COP26, Alok Sharma, and the climate minister Graham Stuart.
Despite his previous promise to prioritise the environment, Sunak also announced that he would not attend the COP27 summit because of ‘pressing domestic commitments’. It was also confirmed that King Charles would remain effectively banned from attending the summit.

This all sent the totally wrong message that the environmental crisis can wait, when the opposite is true. Some of the most pressing problems we face today have arisen in part because for decades politicians have delayed taking adequate action to tackle environmental issues.
With regard to our dependence on fossil fuels, this includes failing to insulate older homes, failing to build new homes to appropriate standards, and failing to adequately develop renewable energy sources and storage.
This is now costing us dearly, especially those who can least afford it. The longer we leave it the more it will cost, in lives and livelihoods as well as finance.
Some argue that we can’t afford action, but inaction would cost vastly more. And besides, we now actually have a golden opportunity to rebuild the world economy in a truly sustainable way, focussing on quality of life instead of the accumulation of money and stuff.

After much criticism there has now thankfully been another screeching government U-turn, and Sunak will attend COP27 after all. The UK needs to inspire international co-operation to take the actions required to urgently address the environmental crisis.
It is the most pressing issue of our time, bar none, and dealing with it properly can create a better life for us all. Let’s get that rollercoaster heading upwards and avoid any downward plunges!