Jeremy Clarkson responds after being slammed over ‘exceptionally stupid’ heatwave tweet

April Curtin

His comments sparked outrage as fires engulf Europe

Jeremy Clarkson has continued to rile up critics following backlash he received for his recent heatwave tweet by telling them to simply “drink more beer”.

The TV star, 62, took to Twitter on Sunday evening to mimic the UK’s red weather warning for extreme heat which came into effect on Monday and Tuesday.

“It’s very hot in the south of France but so far as I know, there’s no DefCon 8 level 3 killer death heatwave warning in place,” he said.

It’s very hot in the south of France but so far as I know, there’s no DefCon 8 level 3 killer death heatwave warning in place.

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) July 17, 2022

His comments come at a time when France, among multiple other European countries, is tackling severe wildfires, which have forced thousands to flee their homes, some with nowhere to go. In the past few days, over 1,000 deaths have been attributed to the heat in Portugal and Spain alone.

Needless to say, many Twitter users were left unamused, describing Clarkson as an “utter womble” whose tweet was “insensitive” and “exceptionally stupid”.

However Clarkson has since hit back with yet more controversial comments amid the dangerous heat.

“I’ve spent my life working in extreme heat and we survived by having a beer under a tree,” he wrote on Monday, “Climate change is real.”

“Drink more beer,” he added.

Unsurprisingly, this saw Clarkson face yet more backlash from thousands. “Yeah let’s laugh about climate change,” one commented.

To which Clarkson replied: “We should laugh about anything we want. Now go and sit under a tree and have a cold beer.”

We should laugh about anything we want. Now go and sit under a tree and have a cold beer.

— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) July 18, 2022

Of course, the UK is no exception to this heat, which is becoming more extreme because of human-induced climate change. The UK recorded the hottest night ever on Monday, with temperatures reaching 25C, and exceeding the previous daily minimum of 23.9C in Brighton on August 3, 1990. Tuesday is forecast to be the hottest day on record with highs of 42C.

Worryingly, climate experts have warned that one day, 40C heat in Britain will seem cool.

Writing in The Guardian, UCL professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards Bill McGuire said: “When our children are our age, they will yearn for a summer as “cool” as 2022, because long before the century’s end, 40C-plus heat will be nothing to write home about in the climate-mangled world they inherit.”

He added: “Things are going to be dreadful, but – working together – we still have the time to stop a dangerous future becoming a cataclysmic one.”