Last month, I spoke in a parliamentary debate on the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis. It feels both ludicrous and frustrating that this is an intervention that still needs to be made in 2026, as experts continually warn we are approaching the “point of no return” on climate catastrophe.
Perhaps some politicians still struggle to understand how the climate impacts the political landscape. Far from being a “single issue” problem, confined to the remit of a few specialist MPs, climate cuts across virtually every area of government. As a result, politicians who attempt to sideline the climate emergency do so at their own peril.
Take national security. A recent national security assessment warned that “every critical ecosystem is on a pathway to collapse”, posing a threat to UK security and prosperity. The first job of any government is to keep its citizens safe. So why does the government continually fail to take sufficient action?
The same can be said of the economy. If we fail to tackle the climate emergency, we’ll cost the UK much more in the long-run than if we invest properly now. The Climate Change Committee, the government’s own specialist advisers, recently crunched the numbers and found that, for every pound spent on reaching our climate targets, we’d see two to four pounds in benefits.
Climate decision-making is also felt across all areas of our daily lives. Last year, Chancellor Rachel Reeves scrapped the Energy Company Obligation in her autumn budget. This policy offered free upgrades like insulation to people who couldn’t afford to properly heat or power their homes. People in “fuel poverty”, who make up 30,000 of Bristol’s households, weren’t the only ones that were affected by this decision. An estimated 12,100 people working in industries like insulation also lost their jobs.
On the flipside, taking stronger action on climate would have far-reaching benefits. Warm homes and better public transport are good for our health and wellbeing, as well as for our NHS.
The government’s climate record faces a major test as it decides whether to approve development of the controversial Rosebank oilfield. Despite announcing a welcome ban on new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is yet to make a decision on the new drilling site off the coast of Shetland. Burning fossil fuels there would release more than the combined annual emissions of all 28 low-income countries globally, with no evidence that it would bring energy costs down at home.
Of course, the picture is not exclusively bleak. Last year, Bristol was recognised as the best city in England on climate action, thanks to projects like Bristol City Leap’s award-winning low carbon heat network, work to make council housing warmer and more energy efficient, and support for community-based environmental initiatives. But we still need more investment from central government, which largely refuses to recognise the scale of the crisis we are facing, and, consequently, the scale of the benefits we could reap if we took action now.
Climate impacts every sphere of our lives, and every sphere of our politics. Frustrating as it may be, I will keep speaking up to show that this is a reality that none of us can afford to ignore.
• If you live in Bristol Central and need help with a local issue, email me at bristolcentraloffice@parliament.uk or write to Carla Denyer MP, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA For national issues email me using carla.denyer.mp@parliament.uk