Jeremy Clarkson has argued his divisive views on global warming were simply a ‘joke’ (Picture: Rex)
Jeremy Clarkson has defended his dismissal of global warming as ‘part of the caricature’.
The Grand Tour and former Top Gear host has shown something of a disregard for the issues of climate change on the motoring shows in the part, but now he’s insisted it was simply a ‘joke’.
‘That was part of the caricature,’ he said. ‘It was a joke.’
However, plenty of people have pointed out the issue with joking about such a significant topic, particularly when a joke risks undermining the very real issues.
‘Not a particularly helpful joke, when all’s said and done,’ pointed out @danimal555 X user, while @HeleJackson0 noted how society is ‘under-prepared for climate change’, while asking for ‘an apology’ from ‘influential’ people in media, like Jeremy.
She added that he has ‘misled people’, tweeting: ‘Some of us have known all along it was going to hammer farmers.’
He insisted his comments on shows like The Grand Tour were ‘part of the caricature’ (Picture: Jeff Spicer/WireImage)
Jeremy has claimed that the version of himself who made controversial statements in the past is more of ‘a comic creation’, and compared the persona to Dr Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs.
‘Everyone assumes the character they see on motoring shows is me, but it’s exaggerated,’ he told The Guardian. ‘To think that I was like I was on Top Gear is the same as thinking that Anthony Hopkins is a cannibal.’
Being a farmer – the new series of Clarkson’s Farm is coming to Amazon Prime Video on May 3 – has given him more pause for thought on the issues facing the planet.
He said: ‘Now you think, “Jesus Christ, my neighbours over there, they’ve had to replant everything because it’s all drowned.” I can’t believe it’s not dominating the news agenda,” he adds sardonically. ‘Oh no, wait, it is.’
He compared his Top Gear persona to Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector (Picture: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)
He has shrugged off concerns over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer scrapping their respective green commitments, insisting that politics isn’t the way forward.
‘Because they don’t really work and they won’t achieve anything,’ he argued, while admitting he wouldn’t like to use his own voice in the debate.
He added: ‘I won’t drive a Tesla. I’ve got probably 10 cars, all with V8 engines. I don’t think electric cars solve anything. Science is going to be needed here, not politics. Science will solve it eventually. Always does.’
Jeremy admitted he isn’t sure on the time frame with scientists coming to the rescue, noting that ‘it’s happening really fast’, and he himself has noticed a ‘dramatic change’ in the UK over the past five years.
‘It hasn’t snowed for five years. We probably get a minute of sleet. We used to get snowed in every year,’ he said.
He is still critical of Greta Thunberg (Picture: Reuters/Isabel Infantes)
However, he’s still not keen on taking advice from climate activist Greta Thunberg, who he has been critical of in the past.
‘Well, I’m not going to be lectured by someone who’s never been to school,’ he insisted, despite his annual A-level results day claim that school doesn’t really matter.
He added: ‘It doesn’t, but you need to learn something. You could say, The School of Life, but she hasn’t been to that either.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Jeremy Clarkson’s representative for comment.
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