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The UK government is stepping up climate action, and we’re helping to make this happen
Campaigning for the planet can sometimes feel like an uphill battle, but lately the tide seems to be turning.
Over the past few weeks, the Labour government has introduced bold new measures to tax polluters, landmark energy legislation and ambitious new climate targets.
The government is starting to align its actions with the scale of the climate crisis. It’s a welcome recognition that people want to see a bold progressive vision to tackle it.
Here is why the latest announcements are a win for both people and the planet.
Reeves clamps down on oil and gas profiteering
Fossil fuel profits are surging on the back of a cost of living and climate crisis – the top 100 oil companies are set to make $234 billion additional profits by the end of the year if oil prices average $100 a barrel – and this is possibly underestimated.
Last month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged to close the loopholes that let oil and gas giants dodge tax on their lucrative oil trading profits. The money raised will go straight into cost-of-living support for people across the UK.
By choosing to side with cash-strapped households over polluting profiteers, the Chancellor signaled a massive shift in Treasury priorities. It is a clear sign that the government has heard our demands – fossil fuel giants like Shell should be made to pay for the damage they have created, rather than leaving ordinary households at the mercy of soaring energy bills and escalating climate chaos.
Many of these oil and gas giants have spent years avoiding paying their fair share of tax. Reeves’ speech made it clear that the government understands the urgent need for material support for people and businesses, and is ready to take steps to make these companies pay up to fund vital cost-of-living support.
None of this happened by accident
These moves by the Labour government are the result of years of relentless pressure from campaigners, communities, and voters who refused to accept corporate greed as the status quo.
However, the true test lies ahead. We know that ambitious policies can be watered down by industry lobbying, so our job now is to ensure the government closes every tax loophole and makes these commitments robust.
The campaign doesn’t stop here. We want the government to introduce much more ambitious legislation to tax oil and gas giants to pay for climate action.
The Energy Independence Bill
Introduced in the recent King’s Speech, the Energy Independence Bill establishes three monumental victories for the climate movement:
No new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea
Find out more about what that means and how we helped to make it happen.
A permanent fracking ban
Calling time on this controversial practice once and for all.
The creation of a Warm Homes Agency
Making our homes warmer, drier, and cheaper to heat is a crucial structural change we’ve long called for.
More signs of progress
The encouraging themes in the Energy Independence Bill follow some other recent, promising government announcements:
With these policies, the Energy Secretary is clearly serious about delivering a clean energy system for the future, which will lower our energy bills and free us from polluting, expensive fossil fuels. The momentum is with us, and our job now is to hold the government to this course and turn these promises into reality.
Carbon Budget 7
Possibly the biggest long-term win is the government’s commitment to Carbon Budget 7 The UK's legally binding cap on greenhouse gas emissions set under the Climate Change Act 2008.Read more. . It sets the UK’s emissions-cutting targets for 2038-2042 – a crucial step towards our legal goal of net zero by 2050. Sticking to it secures the UK’s place among the world’s climate leaders, in step with the rest of Europe.
Now the government must map out how we’ll hit our targets – and the recent energy price spikes only strengthen the case. Reaching net zero will cost the economy less than a single one of these repeated, war-fuelled oil and gas price shocks, and could shield us from the next. It also offers future generations the hope of a fairer, cleaner, more secure world powered by renewables.
This commitment proves that the UK hasn’t abandoned its net zero targets to join the ranks of Trump’s America. Instead, it offers genuine hope for a fairer, cleaner, and more secure world powered by renewables.
Help us shape what happens next
The climate movement is forcing the government to shift. The momentum is again on our side.
Now, it’s up to us all to hold them to the promises they’ve made and ensure words translate into real, systemic change.
Will you ask you MP to speak out in support of cleaner air, lower bills and a better future for us all?