A Britain of wildfires and flood risks: be sure, the climate crisis is real, and we will deal with it | Angela Eagle

Reform and the Conservatives are willing to mislead the public, but as environment secretary, I believe we must be honest – and act boldly This long, hot summer has brought our third drought in five years and the driest July in almost two centuries. We’ve seen wildfires burn down homes and now face the risk of flash floods as we move into autumn. It should be a wake-up call for those saying that concerns about the climate crisis are overblown; that we should simply sit back and do nothing; or row back on attempts to restore our natural environment. As the new environment secretary, I won’t let that happen. No one who has experienced this summer in the UK should be in any doubt that our climate is already changing. We know the future holds warmer, wetter winters, hotter, drier summers, and more extreme weather. Angela Eagle is the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs..