French President Emmanuel Macron faced sharp criticism from British officials yesterday after he interrupted and silenced a climate scientist during a panel discussion at the Paris Global Climate Summit. The incident, described as a ‘total lack of respect’ by UK Environment Secretary James Cleverly, has reignited tensions between the two nations over climate diplomacy.
Dr. Elena Rossi, a glaciologist from the University of Cambridge, was presenting data on accelerated ice melt in Greenland when Macron interjected, telling her ‘we have heard enough on these numbers’ before steering the conversation toward European Union carbon trading schemes. Rossi, visibly taken aback, attempted to continue but was cut off by the moderator.
British officials present at the summit expressed outrage. “This is a total lack of respect for scientific expertise,” Cleverly told Reuters. “The climate crisis is not a political game. We rely on rigorous data to inform policy, not dismiss it.” Downing Street later issued a statement calling the action ‘unacceptable’ and ‘damaging to international cooperation’.
The incident comes at a critical juncture in UK-France relations, already strained over post-Brexit fishing rights and energy disputes. Macron’s office defended the move, stating the president was ‘ensuring a balanced discussion’ and that ‘no disrespect was intended’. However, leaked audio from the event reveals Macron saying ‘these numbers are not news’ before cutting off Rossi mid-sentence.
Climate scientists have rallied behind Rossi. Professor Tim Gould, a paleoclimatologist at Oxford, commented: “We are witnessing a troubling trend where political leaders treat science as a buffet item to be sampled at convenience. The data on ice loss is unequivocal. To silence a colleague is to silence reality itself.”
Rossi’s research, published in Nature last month, shows that Greenland’s ice loss is occurring at a rate 50% higher than previously modelled, contributing 0.7mm to sea level rise annually. Her findings were scheduled to be part of a technical briefing for the summit.
British officials are urging the EU to issue a formal rebuke. “This behaviour undermines the very basis of the Paris Agreement,” said Cleverly. “We need leadership that listens to science, not muzzles it.”
The rift exposes deeper fractures within global climate governance. While the UK has positioned itself as a leader on emissions reductions, France has argued for more emphasis on nuclear energy and ‘efficiency’ measures. Macron has frequently dismissed ‘alarmist’ climate projections, calling for ‘realistic’ policy.
For Dr. Rossi, the incident carries a deeper wound. “When you silence a scientist, you silence the evidence that could save lives,” she told reporters later. “The ice does not care about our politics. It just melts.”
The summit continues this week, with UK officials demanding a public apology from Macron before further bilateral discussions.
