As a result of the pandemic, followed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we have also found ourselves in a cost-of-living crisis with fuel bills escalating daily. This will mean millions of households are struggling to heat their homes and afford nutritious food this winter and beyond. For many, climate change and nature loss will understandably be far from the biggest concern this winter.

However, politicians and policy makers need to ensure that our natural environment remains a priority. Otherwise, we will only make it harder for ourselves to take effective action on climate, whilst our existing energy infrastructure, often located in coastal areas, will be at risk from increasingly volatile weather. This summer we witnessed, first hand, what the impacts of climate change look like – if we don’t make the right decisions now, this year’s drought, flooding and heatwaves will just be a flavour of much worse in decades to come.

The UK Government is making decisions quickly to stem the immediate crisis posed by rising energy costs and we know the freeze on the energy price cap will offer some help to households. But the overarching approach being taken by UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, and her government will not work. It’s vital that we limit climate catastrophe and urgently switch to sustainable energy sources, instead of increasing fossil fuel extraction. This will deliver better value for money, as well as helping to tackle the climate and nature crises, rather than worsening it.

The Wildlife Trusts believe that:

1. The UK Government must realign its energy policy away from building new power stations, licensing further oil and gas, and promoting fracking. None of these solutions can be delivered quickly – even if processes are sped up, it will still take years for these developments to be built and begin producing energy. Even when they are producing fuel, energy prices are driven by global market forces, and so the UK Government cannot guarantee this new energy will be cheaper. Plus, they will prove catastrophic for efforts to tackle the climate and nature crisis, including the UK’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050.
    
2. We need to prioritise energy efficiency over energy production. The government must focus on reducing fuel bills here in the UK, right now – fast. This can be done by offering subsidies for insulation in homes and businesses, as recommended by the most recent progress report from the Committee on Climate Change. Government should also encourage greener, low energy, habits like cycling and using public transport by making them more accessible. We must also ensure that people who rent their homes feel the benefits of energy efficient homes, by incentivising landlords to climate-proof their properties.

   A £5bn investment in energy efficiency this Parliament would lower household, business, and public sector exposure to high gas prices, as well as permanently reducing energy bills. Energy companies have already commissioned research into their readiness to launch ECO Plus, a £1bn energy supplier-led and government-backed scheme to provide millions of British households with access to financial support for retrofit measures.
    

3. Renewable energy must be developed sustainably. Renewables – whether that’s offshore or onshore wind, heat pumps, or solar – must be developed with nature in mind. We know we need to rapidly transition to renewable energy sources if we are to reach net zero, but we must ensure that renewable developments do not damage habitats and the wildlife they support. We can do this by building energy infrastructure close to the communities that will use it, reducing the need for grid and cabling which transports the energy. This infrastructure can harm habitats and food for species like badgers, seals, and dolphins, as well as damaging the seabed, which is itself a vital carbon store. Reducing the infrastructure needed will also make the construction of renewables cheaper.

   Small scale renewables will be important to the energy transition, as well as larger developments, from solar panels on homes and buildings to the replacement of boilers with heat pumps. Not only will these changes make our energy cleaner, they will benefit the economy by £7bn a year and create 140,000 new jobs by 2030, research from Cambridge Econometrics has found.
    

4. Long term planning is needed to provide clarity and certainty for industry and consumers.  A comprehensive 20-year national energy efficiency plan would encourage investment at all levels, allowing both businesses and individuals to understand the opportunities for support and funding that will be available to them to help reduce their energy use. A clear roadmap of the skills and materials needed would enable investment in supply chains and workforce training, ensuring the UK has the people and parts needed to roll out.

   This should be underpinned by changes to legislation to ensure that all new builds are climate-proofed and actively helping to reduce carbon emissions. New builds should have features like solar panels, heat pumps, sufficient insulation and double glazing. Practical advice and support for households should be offered nationally to steer people towards the right energy efficiency and climate proofing measures for their home.

The UK Government must steer a course through this decade that will strengthen global security and ensure we have a reliable, liveable future. That path can only be centred on reducing the impacts of climate change, boosting climate resilience, and putting nature back into recovery.

This blog was written by Joan Edwards, the Director of Policy and Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts (UK).