The groundswell of local leadership on climate and nature encourages braver policymaking, by applying constructive pressure on issues which require heightened ambition. However, we need to go much faster, together: the focus must be on implementation. In addition to demonstrating leadership where we live, lobbying for change helps unlock the momentum needed for this transition to happen at the speed and scale required, and with the equity it deserves.
If you want to read or listen to a couple of inspiring examples to do with climate change lobby actions, keep scrolling. If you would like to lobby for additional causes, then jump here for other campaigns.
Inspiration read
Speaking up for the Climate and Nature Bill
New UK law to address the climate and nature crises
The Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill, initiated by the Zero Hour campaign, is a landmark piece of legislation that would put the UK back on course to meet its climate and nature targets. If passed, this CAN Bill would update climate and environmental legislation in line with commitments that the UK Government has already made internationally – firstly, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with limiting global heating to 1.5C – and secondly, to reverse nature loss by 2030. It is backed by nearly 200 MPs from across parties and over 730 supporting organisations, big and small, from across the UK.
Reversing the loss of nature in the UK
Climate change accelerates biodiversity loss, and vice versa. Other than the CAN Bill, there is currently no other proposed or actual climate legislation that addresses these two sides of the same coin. Taking an integrated approach in the UK is particularly important since our nation is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – as reported in the State of Nature Report 2023 – exacerbating nature’s capacity to absorb and store carbon and adapt to the impacts of global heating. While the existing Environment Act offers to halt the decline of nature by 2030, the Climate and Nature Bill commits to reversing the destruction of nature by 2030. It’s a small change in words but represents a big difference in terms of climate change law ambition. The CAN Bill has a holistic nature target that would increase “the health, abundance, diversity and resilience of species, populations, habitats and ecosystems so that by 2030, and measured against a baseline of 2020, nature is visibly and measurably on the path of recovery.”
Fairness and involving the public
The CAN Bill will deliberately involve the public in deciding the fairest way forward, helping to ensure that sections of our society are not left behind in the rapid transition away from fossil fuels. Working together in this way is done not only for moral reasons but also out of economic national interest. Under this Bill, the strategy must ensure a positive and fair impact on local communities with high levels of deprivation, with measures that include financial support and retraining for people to transition from working in high-emissions and highly impacted industries to new jobs in the low-carbon economy. Achieving a broad public consensus is essential in rising to the challenge, and the CAN Bill also includes a Climate and Nature Assembly – made up of ordinary citizens who will represent all sections of society – to advise Parliament on the strategy.
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Inspiration listen
Do Something Bigger
What would inspire you to do something bigger for climate and nature? In this, the first episode of the Carbon Copy Podcast series, Do Something Bigger, we introduce our year-long campaign: 25…
Do something bigger
In addition to the CAN Bill, you could also influence big changes by supporting one of these campaigns below, that help empower different groups – from cities and companies to councils and communities – to take bolder action for climate and nature.
‘Race to Zero’ to halve emissions by 2030
The ‘Race to Zero’ is a UN-backed campaign that’s asking cities, companies, universities and more to take rigorous and immediate action to halve emissions by 2030. If your organisation is not already part of this movement, lobby to join this campaign that will help in achieving your organisation’s climate and nature goals. Within a year of signing up, you have to come up with and publicly disclose a plan; then – with the support of Planet Mark and others in this collective race – you follow through and take that action, and publish results on progress annually. It’s about much more than a net zero target; it’s about meaningful action and your organisation becoming a force for good. Find out more about joining the Race to Zero here.
Council climate action as a legal duty
According to detailed findings from Climate Emergency UK’s Council Climate Action Scorecards, political leadership, good governance and external funding are the factors that have the biggest impact on enabling action for climate and nature within local authorities. CE UK is calling for climate action to be a legal duty for councils, as this would help all our councils to implement these key impact drivers and to deliver on our net zero and nature positive goals. There’s no need to wait for this statutory duty. Compare the good actions of your own council with those that have the biggest impact and lobby for more change. Review the council climate change strategy from: Westminster, Lancaster, Oxfordshire CC, West Midlands Combined Authority and Belfast.
Greater community powers
Across a whole range of challenges, putting power and resources into the hands of democratically-elected local leaders delivers better outcomes and gives communities a greater opportunity to shape the future of their local areas. But we have to think bigger and transfer some of these powers beyond central and local government. A proposed Community Power Act would do such a thing and shift powers to communities, so that we can shape the places where we live and better support the people around us. The scale of the climate and nature crises requires more place-based leadership, not less; that’s big-thinking local action. Find out more about the campaign for community power.
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