The world is threatened with extinction.That's the truth

>> Climate tsar slams Conservative & SNP governments for failure on environment. >> Former top Tory hits out at own party for supporting new oil and coal projects

- DAN VEVERS

THE UK's outgoing climate change tsar has told the Record the Westminster and Holyrood governments are both "fiddling about" while the planet burns.

Lord Deben, who has just finished a 10-year term as chair of the Climate Change Committee, slammed the Tories and the SNP for failing to hit their green targets.

But the former Conservative politician - who was known as John Gummer when he served as environment minister in the 90s reserved his fiercest criticism for Rishi Sunak's Government.

He accused the Tories of "hiding from logic" by backing new oil and coal projects in the face of the unfolding climate disaster that threatens the world with "extinction".

Lord Deben said UK ministers would "live to regret" policies like green-lighting more than 100 new North Sea licences and approving a "deeply retrograde" new coal mine in Cumbria.

But the departing CCC boss also took aim at the SNP government, saying it was "sad" it appeared to be watering down its stance against new North Sea drilling projects.

He accused administrations on both sides of the Border of wasting precious time as other countries moved ahead on addressing climate change and said Wales was now leading the UK.

Lord Deben said Scottish and UK governments had shown they could work together at the COP26 summit in Glasgow two years ago where they had "led the world" on climate issues.

But speaking exclusively to the Record, he said: "We then had to turn to the much more difficult thing of delivery and I just think we haven't been good at doing that.

"And because we led the world, we're now in a worse position because not only have we lost leadership because of some of the things that we haven't done and some of the things we have done... but we've also, of course, encouraged others.