Cripes! Boris Johnson, one of Britain's least environmentally friendly politicians, will this week relaunch himself as a green champion.
In his maiden green speech, which aides are billing as "extremely substantial" and "a milestone event", London's Mayor - who used to denounce "eco-moralists" for spouting "mumbo-jumbo" - is
to announce his intention to make the city the eco-capital of the world.
The man who compared fear of global warming to a "Stone Age religion" has decided that he wants to make the capital "the world's leading city in delivering carbon reductions and capturing the benefits of the new energy economy".
The speech - to the annual conference of the official Environment Agency - will stress that the financial crisis provides a crucial opportunity for developing eco- friendly businesses.
Industries will have the chance to develop "new technologies", the Mayor will add, and householders will be able to save money by conserving energy and reducing their carbon footprints.
Johnson will also promise "substantially increased investment" in small-scale exploitation of solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy in homes and communities, and "minimum-hassle, minimum-cost energy-efficiency programmes" to insulate homes, offices and other buildings.
The speech will mark one of the most remarkable political Damascene conversions in years, for the Mayor was one of the few prominent Britons to welcome George W. Bush's determination to kill off international attempts to combat climate change. He said that the President's "decision to scrumple up the Kyoto Protocol" was "right not just for America but for the world".
But the Mayor's office said: "Boris Johnson was elected on a firm commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025 and to make London's environment cleaner and greener."
IN HIS OWN WORDS
How Boris Johnson has described all things green:
* Environmentalists = Eco-moralists.
* Environmental concerns = Mumbo-jumbo.
* Global warming = A Stone Age religion.
* Comments this year on the Kyoto Protocol: "If America were to meet its Kyoto targets now, it would require a cut of 30 per cent in emissions, and how, exactly, is that supposed to work in the current economic downturn?"
- INDEPENDENT
