Overview
Launched in spring 2019, the Cutting Carbon Now (CCN) project advocates immediate action across the UK economy to drastically reduce the UK’s contribution to climate change. We are collaborating on this work with other climate focused organisations, public authorities and businesses, and wider civil society.
We must be ambitious and decisive in bringing about an economic transformation that protects the UK and the world from future health, climate and ecological crises.
Net zero policy tracker
Launched in 2020, our net zero policy tracker holds the government to account on its action to cut carbon emissions, particularly:
- The effectiveness of its promises: the tracker maps the carbon reduction potential of new policies and funding since the start of 2020.
- Spending commitments against annual funding needed to tackle the climate and nature emergencies.
Read the tracker updates:
Blueprint for a resilient economy
As the government recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, we outlined the policies needed for an economic recovery that builds back a low carbon, resilient and fairer society, and strengthened the political case for action.
See our summary report, supported by full briefings:
COP26 climate leadership
In November 2021, the UK hosted the UN climate summit in Glasgow (COP26). This was a vital opportunity for concerted global action on limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement, to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change, as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
We collaborated with other environmental organisations and businesses to ensure the UK, as hosts of the summit, led the way both domestically and globally to make COP26 a success.
In addition to providing briefings and blogs, we held two conferences to raise ambition and expectations, attracting 1,000 people from business, civil society, politics and the media. Senior political speakers included the COP26 president Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP and Rt Hon Michael Gove MP.
Explore our advocacy work:
Making it count: 2021 a year of UK leadership on climate and nature
In association with partner organisations, we hosted a day of online panels and interviews to consider the UK’s important role in 2021.
COP26 president Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP was the keynote speaker.
Countdown to COP26
This one day conference considered what the UK needed to do to host a successful and ambitious COP. Sessions explored the diplomatic, business, finance and social challenges.
Special guest speakers included Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, and Nicola Sturgeon.
Four tests for the Glasgow climate summit
In this 2021 blog, Shaun Spiers sets out four tests for the government that environmental organisations would use to guide their climate advocacy.
The success of the COP26 climate summit was to be marked against the UK’s demonstration of global leadership; its delivery of a credible net zero strategy; the upholding of its climate justice promises; and the connection it made between the state of nature and the climate crisis.
High profile and specialist events
Our in person and online events host informed debate, increase understanding of important issues and keep the environment at the top of the political agenda.
Event highlights in 2021 include:
Are metro mayors the route to faster UK climate action?
With the awareness of the role of metro mayors increasing as they fronted the regional pandemic response, we heard from the Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, about his priorities for climate action.
His speech was followed by a panel discussion exploring the particular challenges faced by regional leaders, highlighting examples of best practice around the country.
Green Alliance at party conferences 2021
In partnership with other environmental organisations, we held a number of events at the 2021 Labour and Conservative party conferences.
This included an event with Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP pitching Labour’s vision for climate action.
Partner
This project has been made possible through generous support from the Network for Social Change.
