UK train company employee claims on Twitter outdoor heaters aren’t wasteful because climate change is not man made
Source: Flickr / AndrewHA
By Sophie Yeo
What began as a polite enquiry over the environmental efficiency of having heaters on train station platforms has turned into First Capital Connect’s very own Climategate.
Responding to a complaint about the wastefulness of the heaters, a rogue climate denier among the FCC team responded that they were not wasteful because they kept the staff warm and because of the “illusion about man made climate change”.
Jay proceeded to engage with customers over the scientific basis for his comment, suggesting that the hypothesis had been “shattered by numerous scientific reports”.
His tweets come two weeks after the the release of the IPCC report, which confirmed that the influence of humans on climate change is “unequivocal”. Neither is his claim held up by a recent study, which found that 97% of peer-reviewed papers agree that warming is man made.
Unfortunately for Jay, FCC was not impressed by the outburst of climate denial. A colleague called Ally promptly took over to reassure Twitter that the train company did take environmental responsibility seriously, and that they would be having a chat with Jay.
Others were also unimpressed. “Because of this I am re-organising my daily commute (Brighton to London) so that I do not travel with your company,” tweeted @timpeat.
In a statement, FCC said, “This could not have come at a worse time for we are about to launch a Green Week initiative to tell people what we are doing and what they can do to help the environment.
“Clearly this member of staff needs to be the first one briefed.”