Complaint
This edition featured two climate-change related stories: the first a report from the EU’s Copernicus monitoring service charting an increase in average global temperatures, the second Labour’s decision to drop a pledge to spend £28 billion in support of its “green prosperity planâ€.  A listener complained the programme failed to challenge the scientific basis for the figures, and in doing so failed in its obligation to show due impartiality on a controversial matter.  The ECU considered whether the broadcast met the ±«Óãtv requirements for due accuracy and impartiality.
Outcome
The programme carried news reports and interviewed the ±«Óãtv’s Climate Editor, Justin Rowlatt, Chief Political Correspondent, Henry Zeffman and a number of contributors, including Labour’s business spokesman and Sir Bob Watson, former head of the International Panel on Climate Change.  In the absence of evidence to the contrary, the ECU considered there was no reason to challenge either the validity of the Copernicus figures or Sir Bob’s view that a 1.5% increase in global mean temperatures from the pre-industrial era far exceeded what was acceptable. It also took the view that the controversy attached to Labour’s proposals was political not scientific in nature and that due impartiality was therefore maintained by focusing on this aspect of the proposals.        Â
Not Upheld