Outraged environmentalists are calling for the immediate sacking of the North's Environment Minister Sammy Wilson of the Democratic Unionist Party after his controversial decision to ban a new advertising campaign on climate change. Wilson, who does not believe that mankind is to blame for global warming, blocked a series of TV and radio ads urging viewers to reduce their carbon output and use less energy in the home. The minister said he was not prepared to allow "insidious New Labor propaganda" about the impact of climate change to be screened on Ulster Television. Reacting to Wilson's decision to ban the advertising campaign outright, Northern Ireland's Green Party tabled a motion in the Stormont Assembly demanding his removal from office, while the SDLP called on the Executive to re-examine his decision. Undaunted by the torrent of criticism his actions unleashed, the East Antrim representative stood by his hard line decision, claiming the global warming adverts were all "propaganda." The British government originally produced the Act on CO2 campaign, but as a devolved minister Wilson has the authority to prohibit the ads from being broadcast in Northern Ireland. Brian Wilson, the Green Party's sole representative in the Assembly, accused Wilson of being irresponsible. "While the minister is entitled to his own views, he is not entitled to ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence that man made climate change exists," he said. SDLP environment spokesman Tommy Gallagher said, "This is personal political sabotage of an important public awareness campaign. This is grandstanding on an extreme and dangerous scale. The minister must be held accountable for his maverick posturing." John Woods, a spokesperson from Friends of the Earth in Northern Ireland, said Wilson's actions were incompatible with his office. "Wilson's antics do not reflect well on First Minister Peter Robinson's judgment and have become an embarrassment to Northern Ireland. We urgently need someone in post that will take this job seriously," he said.
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