Be the change you wish to see

The global average temperature continues its relentless rise.  Global warming reached 1.58°C in the 12 months to the end of April 2025.  UN Climate Change Chief Simon Stiell has warned that the world is on a trajectory to 3°C^[i].

But at a very time that the world needs to step up efforts to tackle the escalating climate crisis we are witnessing a global green backlash, strengthened by the election of Trump, and a fracturing of a once strong political consensus in the UK.

The science has not changed.  Now is not the time to walk back ambition. 

Four out of five people in the UK are concerned about climate change^[ii] but the risk is that party politicking will undermine public support for net zero.

Following Reform UK’s gains in the May local elections, Richard Tice said the party will use its control of 10 Councils to block renewable projects.  In March, Kemi Badenoch dropped the Conservative Party’s commitment to reaching net zero by 2050, partly in reaction to the growing threat posed by climate sceptic Nigel Farage. Some Labour MPs fear that net zero policies are driving voters to Reform UK. Others argue that Labour would lose more to Greens and Lib Dems from rowing back on net zero than they would at retaining “reform curious” Labour voters[iii].

The Starmer Government must stay its course.  The industrial strategy expected this summer could act as a catalyst for new technologies and innovation and bring jobs and manufacturing to the UK.  Net zero must be presented as an opportunity to build a greener economy that will drive prosperity for everyone. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit has shown that the UK’s net zero economy now generates £83.1 billion in Gross Value Added and has grown 10% in the past year.^[iv]

In a surprising contribution last month Tony Blair said any strategy based on either phasing out fossil fuels in the short term or limiting consumption is doomed to fail[v].  It must have been disappointing for the Starmer team that Blair’s intervention detracted focus from the highly successful international energy Summit[vi], attended by senior officials from 60 countries, and at which Starmer said that tackling the climate crisis was in the DNA of his government[vii].

Despite a strong track record on climate leadership, the UK is not on track to achieve the 2030 goal of a 68% cut in emissions. The easy wins in terms of decarbonising the power sector have happened.  Little progress has been made in sectors where people need to make changes in their behaviour.  However, it may be that the challenge is not public belief but political will.

The “89% Project” launched last month speaks for the “silent climate majority”[viii].  Most of the world’s population wants stronger climate action. A perception gap means that climate policies are not as ambitious as public sentiment.  Making people aware that their pro-climate view is the majority view could unlock a social tipping point and push leaders into climate action urgently needed.

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world”

In his famous quote Mahatma Gandhi emphasized the importance of personal transformation as a catalyst for positive change.

The world is now experiencing the impacts of climate breakdown.  We must rise to the challenge of this escalating emergency.  The central proposition of Greener Vision: Pathways to Net Zero is that policy as usual will not achieve net zero.

Systemic change is a deeply personal endeavour.  Our social and economic structures are a product of our way of thinking.  We need new thinking, creative solutions and systemic change.  Climate policy should be informed by five key ‘Pillars of Unity’:

Firstly, we should seek to see the whole picture.  We need to become more honest and self-aware about our decision-making.  Are the assumptions underpinning our response to the climate crisis fit for purpose?  We are part of the problem if we persist with the illusion that ‘business as usual’ will achieve net zero.

We need to find ways effectively to engage our emotional brains in climate change.  Rational scientific data loses out against a compelling emotional story that speaks to people’s values.  Integration of thoughts and feelings will be critical.

We need a radical realignment of how we perceive ourselves in relation to the environment on which we depend.  We must strive to be at one with nature.  We need to connect with our natural empathy and respect for all living species and foster the understanding that protection of nature is “protection of our very selves”^[ix].

Too much attention is given to treating the symptoms of problems and not enough to the underlying causes.  We need a whole systems transition to net zero. Healing the whole system means addressing the root cause of climate change: our addiction to fossil fuels.

We should strive to become citizens of ‘One World’.  Climate change is a global intergenerational problem requiring unprecedented levels of cooperation.  86 percent of people globally want to see their countries set aside geopolitical differences and work together on climate change^[x].

Greener Vision is holding a series of discussions to explore how to develop a response to the climate crisis commensurate to the scale of challenge.  ‘The Pillars of Unity’ series will explore how we might embrace more holistic thinking and an approach that creates unity rather than division.  If you would like to receive information on the series, please sign up here.

^[i] https://www.ft.com/content/f17d09af-8f44-409a-b1dc-ad33a0792446

^[ii] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/desnz-public-attitudes-tracker-spring-2023

[iii]https://www.politicshome.com/opinion/article/labour-must-fight-badenoch-farage-on-net-zero

^[iv] https://eciu.net/analysis/reports/2025/net-zero-economy-across-the-uk

[v] https://institute.global/insights/climate-and-energy/the-climate-paradox-why-we-need-to-reset-action-on-climate-change

[vi] https://www.iea.org/events/summit-on-the-future-of-energy-security

[vii] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/24/britain-will-accelerate-push-to-net-zero-starmer-tells-energy-summit

[viii] https://89percent.org/

^[ix] Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience and Creative Power, New World Library 2012, 2022

^[x] https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2024-06-20-80-percent-people-globally-want-stronger-climate-action-governments-according-new