GB News panel hits back at Guardian over net-zero sceptic article
A GB News panel defends its climate views, arguing net-zero is unaffordable, and accuses the Guardian of using AI to write the article.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
A panel of commentators on a British television programme have responded sharply to a Guardian article that criticised net-zero sceptics, including several of the panellists themselves. The article, which the panel said was partly generated using artificial intelligence, accused them of turning against what it called 'net-zero zealotry'.
During the discussion, the panellists insisted they were not climate change deniers, but argued that the cost of reaching net-zero was not worth the benefit. One speaker said: 'We're not denying that there's climate change. Of course there's climate change. What we're saying here is whether or not man is causing it, we can't afford this folly.' Another compared the tone of climate warnings to scaremongering, saying he was 'sick to death of the naysayers'.
The panel also highlighted what they saw as an irony in the Guardian's methods. They claimed the newspaper had used AI to scrape content for the article, and that AI data centres are a significant source of emissions. One panellist said: 'They didn't even do the journalism. They used AI to scrape it. Literally, this article caused more problems for climate change than any of us did.'
A doctor on the panel objected to being quoted out of context, saying remarks about 'Darwinism' and the sun warming the earth had been presented as extreme. The group laughed off suggestions that their views were far right, with one saying he would have to 'go away and germ up on that'.
The segment ended with an argument between panellists about the importance of net-zero as an aspiration, with one insisting it was not a zero-sum game and Britain should use its soft power to advance the cause. But the dominant mood was one of frustration with what they saw as poor journalism and an unwillingness to engage with the real costs of climate policy.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | GB News |
|---|---|
| A Guardian article was produced using AI, which relies on energy-intensive data centres. | |
| Panel members accept climate change but argue that net-zero is unaffordable. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The segment focused on the panel's defensive reaction to the Guardian article, emphasising their claim that they are not climate deniers but opponents of expensive and ineffective net-zero policies. It highlighted the irony of the Guardian using AI, which is energy-intensive, and mocked the article's characterisations of their views.
- “I'm sick to death of the naysayers saying, firstly, we're all going to die and that we have to put out heat alerts because, you know, just drink some water and drink a bit less rosé in the sunshine.”
- “We're not denying that there's climate change. Of course there's climate change. What we're saying here is whether or not man is causing it, we can't afford this folly.”
- “They didn't even do the journalism. They used AI to scrape it. Literally, this article caused more problems for climate change than any of us did.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.