The government’s green agenda must bring people with it
Earl Russell, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for Energy Security and Net Zero
3 min read
Labour’s green mission signals a bold shift toward decarbonising the UK by 2030. But without detailed plans for key areas, the policy risks falling short. To succeed, Earl Russell claims that the government must secure broad public support for a just and resilient transition
There is much in Labour’s energy and climate change policy that I welcome. Their green mission represents a refreshing change of direction from the Conservatives’ retreat from reality.
We have seen some rapid progress on onshore wind and solar. GB Energy is being established in partnership with the Crown Estates to develop our offshore wind resources, which are the third best in the world, helping to deliver a key part of our target to decarbonise power generation by 2030.
In energy terms, the change required by 2030 is the largest since the Industrial Revolution. To achieve this, we must build at pace and scale to deliver the green electricity needed.
We must change how we generate power, how energy is stored and supplied to industry, how we heat our homes and offices, and how we travel. These are huge projects that must be done urgently.
However, beyond the large-scale infrastructure projects, there is a distinct lack of any detailed plans on key policies from this government. Plans for the mass insulation of homes, the installation of heat pumps and solar panels, and the transition to electric vehicles are all missing.
For the government’s missions to succeed, they require societal support. An effective government communications strategy is required to implement the level of change necessary to meet our energy and climate targets.
The decision to cut winter fuel payments sent entirely the wrong message. This government must work to reduce energy costs for billpayers at the start of this transition and do more to make the case for long-term energy and price security that will come from future British green energy.
Green objectives can all too easily be derailed by planning issues, rising energy bills, disinformation and even changes of government.
Labour’s green mission is overly controlled in Whitehall. It is being done to us, not with us. If Labour fails to win hearts and minds, support will evaporate.
We must change how we generate power, how energy is stored and supplied to industry, how we heat our homes and offices, and how we travel
The mission must extend beyond central government and do more to support local communities. They must see direct benefits from community energy programmes, and they should be compensated adequately for new infrastructure.
The transition must be just. We need to create a future with a thriving green economy and new jobs. Labour’s budget delivered no plans or funding to provide the skills and job training necessary to deliver our fast-approaching 2030 goals.
The impacts of climate change are here now. The devastating floods in Spain are a stark reminder of the raw destructive power our rapidly changing climate is inflicting. The luxury of talking about future climate impacts is over. These impacts are here now, and they will only continue to get worse.
As a country, we are not ready. Adaption and resilience work remains a missing element in government policy, with little to no joined-up thinking or planning. Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the Environment Agency, was right in her stark warning from 2021: “It is adapt or die.”
We face an interlinked climate and nature crisis, and our 30 by 2030 biodiversity and nature targets now look like impossible dreams. We are the most nature-deprived country in the world and all the worse for it. My concern is that spending constraints will limit Labour’s progress in this vital area.
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