Joanna Lumley suggests wartime rationing to solve climate crisis
26 October 2021, 11:51
Absolutely Fabulous actor Joanna Lumley has suggested the introduction of "legislation" to ration holidays, food and drink to help tackle the climate crisis.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The avid campaigner against single-use plastic has proposed introducing a "system of rationing" similar to that used in wartime, where people would have points to spend on luxury items.
The 75 year old actor said: "These are tough times, and I think there's got to be legislation.
"That was how the war was – stuff was rationed – and at some stage I think we might have to go back to some kind of system of rationing, where you're given a certain number of points and it's up to you how to spend them, whether it's buying a bottle of whisky or flying in an aeroplane."
Her suggestion included taking one holiday a year at home instead of "hopping on a plane to Magaluf for the weekend" adding that "people have got to think a bit harder" when it comes to the environment.
"Every plastic bottle you don’t buy, every piece of litter you pick up, every piece of meat you don't eat, every small thing counts," she said on the Radio Times.
Read more: Animal rights activists scale Govt building to demand 'defund meat'
Read more: Don't use the M25 because we want to protest on it, eco mob tells motorists
Sadiq Khan on COP26
Her comments come days before Cop26 when the Prime Minister will welcome world leaders to Glasgow for the United Nations summit.
Boris Johnson admitted he fears the major international climate change summit he will host from Sunday could fail to make the progress needed.
"We need as many people as possible to go to net zero so that they are not producing too much carbon dioxide by the middle of the century," he said.
"Now, I think it can be done. It's going to be very, very tough, this summit.
"And I'm very worried, because it might go wrong and we might not get the agreements that we need. It's touch and go."
