Reform UK, a hard-right populist party led by Nigel Farage, has positioned itself as a major political force in recent years by opposing net-zero policies and climate science. The party’s deputy leader and energy spokesperson, Richard Tice, has been particularly vocal in criticizing what he terms “net stupid zero” and has made numerous claims contradicting established climate science. Carbon Brief has compiled and examined 45 statements made by Reform UK’s leadership that contain false or misleading information regarding climate change, renewable energy, and net-zero targets.
Among the factchecked claims is Tice’s assertion that there is no evidence human-made CO2 affects climate, a position contradicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which states it is “unequivocal” that humans have warmed the planet primarily through greenhouse gas emissions. Tice cited a report from Statistics Norway to support his position, but the statistics bureau itself clarified that the independent authors’ views do not represent the organization’s official stance. Climate scientists have described the Norwegian report as containing standard climate denial talking points and errors.
Another examined claim involved Tice’s statement that climate naturally cycles through various timescales. While natural factors such as volcanic eruptions and solar variations do influence Earth’s climate, scientists have found these effects are limited relative to the underlying long-term warming trend. The IPCC indicates current global temperatures are approximately 1.4C higher than pre-industrial levels and likely represent the warmest period in about 125,000 years, with roughly 100% of this warming attributed to human activity.
Farage’s claim that humans produce only 3% of atmospheric CO2 annually was also examined. While factually accurate on its face, scientists note this statement is misleading because it ignores the natural carbon cycle. Before industrialization, natural CO2 releases and absorptions were roughly balanced. Human activities have disrupted this equilibrium by adding unprecedented quantities of CO2 to the atmosphere, causing concentrations to reach levels unseen in at least two million years.
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