Jeremy Clarkson responds to backlash over heatwave tweet: ‘Climate change is real. Drink more beer’
Broadcaster prompted backlash after his tweet about soaring tempertaures Jeremy Clarkson is seemingly unaffected by the recent backlash he received for an exceptionally stupid tweet he posted about the ongoing heatwave . On Sunday (17 July), the former Top Gear host shared a tweet which read: Its very hot in the south of France but so far as I know, theres no DefCon 8 level 3 killer death heatwave warning in place. His post was widely interpreted as a jab at the UK governments response to the heatwave, with many responding that his comment was incorrect. However, Clarkson has dismissed the backlash, writing in a new tweet today (18 July): Ive spent my life working in extreme heat and we survived by having a beer under a tree. Climate change is real. Drink more beer. Yeah lets laugh about climate change, someone replied. To which the broadcaster quipped back: We should laugh about anything we want. Now go and sit under a tree and have a cold beer. Clarksons original tweet received many negative responses, including climate journalist Dave Vetter, who shared a map of European wildfire outbreaks, commenting: You could, indeed you have, filled several books with all the stuff you dont know. Medical specialist Dr Philip Lee wrote: Theyve literally evacuated 14,000 people from Southern France Jeremy. Because its on fire. Someone else described the tweet as tone-deaf and ignorant, while another person wrote: This is an exceptionally stupid thing to say. You can follow live updates about the heatwave here . Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Getty Images Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Log in New to The Independent? Or if you would prefer: Want an ad-free experience? Hi {{indy.fullName}}