Holly Valance says climate change is fake. Here's how to talk to the deniers in your life

Holly Valance spoke out at a Conservative party even (Picture: GB News)

Well, we weren’t expecting that. Holly Valance, once pictured wearing a ‘Communism-inspired t-shirt’, has caused all sorts of waves after speaking out at a Tory party event.

The former Neighbours star, married to billionaire business tycoon Nick Candy, was attending the launch of Liz Truss’s new Conservative faction when she shared a range of, erm, interesting views.

Alongside wanting Jacob Rees-Mogg for prime minister, she also claimed ‘everyone starts off as a leftie’ before ‘realising what cr*p ideas they all are’ and denied the existence of climate change.

Speaking to GB News, Holly said: ‘I just think the climate crisis, or lack of, is not a crisis. I mean the air is better than when I was growing up.

‘It was a stink walking down the street when I was growing up. Cleaner, cheaper energy is what we need.

‘We’re perfectly able to get it and have it, but we’re just putting all these restrictions on normal people.

Holly Valance and her husband Nick Candy (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

‘We’re just trying to go about their business, get to work, pick up their children from school, go to the supermarket. It’s just insanity.

‘It’s like smashing your head up against a wall every day.’

Now. Cleaner, cheaper energy is obviously a great idea, bring it on. But denying that climate change is happening – especially based on improvements in local air quality – is not.

And while most of us aren’t mingling at political events, we all know a Holly.

Thankfully, to help you knock back some of the more common myths spouted by climate change deniers, the team at the Rainforest Alliance have put together some ready-made answers to keep to hand.

‘We’ve already had snow this winter – so much for global warming!’

There’s a big difference between climate and weather.

Weather fluctuates day in, day out, whereas climate refers to long term trends – and the overall trend is clearly and indisputably a warming one.

While the impacts of climate change have only just begun to hit the Global North, farmers in the tropics have been contending with impacts – from droughts to floods to a proliferation of crop-destroying pests – for years.

Some scientists believe climate change led to the death of the dinosaurs, not an asteroid strike (Picture: Getty)

‘Climate change has always happened, it’s normal’

It’s true that there have been periods of global warming and cooling – also related to spikes and lulls in greenhouse gases – during the Earth’s long history. But those historic increases in CO2 should be a warning to us – they led to serious environmental disruptions, including mass extinctions.

Today, humans are emitting greenhouse gases at a far higher rate than any previous increase in history.

All the more reason for us to act now.

Most scientists are in agreement about climate change (Picture: Getty)

‘There isn’t even agreement between scientists that climate change is real’

So wrong. There is nearly 100% agreement among scientists.

In addition, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says that global warming is accelerating, and will reach 1.C above pre-Industrial levels around 2030 – a full decade earlier than previously forecast.

Frogs are one of millions of species at risk from climate change (Picture: Getty)

‘Plants and animals will adapt’

Wrong again. Yes, animals and plants are masters of adaptation – just look at the platypus or blob fish.

However, because human-caused climate change is happening so rapidly, species simply don’t have time to adapt.

Frogs tell the story best. With their semi-permeable skin, unprotected eggs, and reliance on external temperatures to regulate their own, they are often among the first species to die off when ecosystems tip out of balance – and they’re dying off in droves.

The Rainforest Alliance chose a frog as its mascot more than 30 years ago precisely because it’s a bio-indicator: A healthy frog population signals a healthy ecosystem.

Climate change won’t just be like a long summer holiday (Picture: Getty)

‘Climate change is good for us’

Where do you even start?

The human cost of climate change will be enormous, incomprehensible.

The evidence points to a clear link between climate change and a surge in modern slavery – when crop failures, drought, floods, or fires wipe out livelihoods and homes, people migrate in the hopes of improving their lot, but can find themselves vulnerable to human trafficking and forced labor and other human rights abuses.

And the overall economic cost is staggering – the global economy could lose $23 trillion to climate change by 2050.

‘I believe in climate change – but it’s too late to do anything’

It isn’t too late. It’s true we don’t have time to waste, but if governments, businesses and individuals begin taking drastic action now, we can keep warming within the 1.5C target set by the Paris Agreement.

What can you do to make sure that happens? A lot. From sustainable tech and second-hand clothes, to electric cars and gorgeous gardens, we can all do our bit.

Learn more about the Rainforest Alliance here

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