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David Bellamy is used to being attacked for his views on climate change but he believes there is a need for a much more balanced debate on the issue.

The botanist, who is now based in County Durham, believes the recent temperature rises are just part of the Earth's natural cycle and that such changes have been seen before.

He said: "Climate change is happening, it's been happening all the time there has been a climate, and there certainly is a period in recent times when it appears that the temperature is going up and up.

"But I would show you this one thing out of the paper – strawberries in December, frog spawn in February – not 2007 but 1868 and no one blamed global warming then. I have asked the global warmers how to explain facts like that and they always don't give me an answer. So I am a sceptic."

Sun spots

He said temperatures are going up and down all the time and he does not think it can simply be blamed on the amount of carbon dioxide being produced.

What he thinks are responsible for rising temperatures are sun spot cycles.

He said: "The sun is getting old and it is getting warmer all the time but we do have cycles of sun spots and when those sun spots come the effect is to warm the Earth up and warm the atmosphere.

"They are big flares, there are enormous flares, it's an atomic powerhouse - you can actually see them - they are enormous eruptions. At least half of the temperature rise that we have seen correlates with these sun spots."

What he passionately believes is that the subject should be properly debated and not just one side accepted without that.

He said: "We have got to get this thing argued out in public properly and not just take one opinion.

David Bellamy believes sun spots are responsible

"Science works like that. Science is wonderful because you can argue with people and when you got proved wrong you went away with a bloody nose but you looked up to that scientist even more and you tried to get your research right.

"And I don't actually think we have been given, and especially the public, has been given a fair whack of the other side."

Debate call

He said he would like people to be given the other side of the story and let them make up their own minds.

But he says he is used to attracting derision for his opinions on the subject. He said he has had problems getting papers published which go against the view that global warming is due to carbon.

He said: "We are labelled climate sceptics, heretics. In fact some people have said we should be tried for crimes against humanity because if we don't stop something which perhaps isn't even happening, millions of people are going to die.

"I honestly think it's appalling that we have been told by some pretty top people that global warming is going to kill billions of people in the future and there's nothing we can do about it."

He adds: "I think it's pure scaremongering and I would stay stop it until the debate has been had in public and we can come out with a real scientific consensus of fact."

But he said he supports the move for people to take measures to conserve energy. One area he believes should be concentrated on is looking at using tidal power to provide energy instead of the more popular method of wind power.