Hi John,

This is shocking. According to new data out today, the UK is currently last in Europe for sales of energy efficient heat pumps - leaving our homes as a huge source of the greenhouse gas emissions fuelling global warming. [1]

It’s a little known fact that 14% of the UK’s emissions are caused directly by our homes, mostly due to high-carbon gas boilers. [2] We need to switch to cleaner, greener heating - and with key climate talks coming up and the UN sounding a “code red for humanity”, we can’t afford to delay. [3]

That’s why we’re launching an urgent campaign to pressure Chancellor Rishi Sunak to get behind greener homes in the upcoming autumn budget.

Experts say Rishi Sunak needs to commit an additional £12bn for reducing emissions from our homes in next month’s Spending Review - but according to insiders, Sunak himself is currently the main block to green investment in the Cabinet. [4] He’s ditching climate spending - and we need to let him know that won’t go unnoticed.

By sending MPs across parliament this range of different postcards, we can ensure green homes are on the agenda, and build pressure on Sunak to change course. Just pick your postcard, edit the message if you wish and hit send - we’ll handle the rest, and deliver your postcard straight to your MP’s parliamentary office! So far the debate over whether to ditch gas boilers has been driven by climate sceptics - but we can make sure parliamentarians know how important it is that we phase out dirty fossil fuels from our homes.

As well as radically reducing emissions, in the long term heat pumps and insulation will help people keep bills and repair costs down. But we need this government to step up by helping people with upfront costs - especially for those on low incomes. It’s not just a cost either: investing in this transition will create thousands of green jobs and boost our economy - and we know the costs of climate inaction would far outstrip those of climate action. [5]

Help us pressure Sunak to step up - send a postcard to your MP now to fight for a greener, cleaner future.

Thank you,

Caroline

Greenpeace UK

[1] With just 1.3 heat pumps sold per 1,000 households last year, we’re joint last with Hungary in a ranking of 21 European nations. See: “Fewer heat pumps are sold and installed in the UK than almost any other country in Europe”, inews, 13 September 2021

[2] See “UK housing: Fit for the future?”, UK Committee on Climate Change, 21 February 2019

[3] “U.N. climate change report sounds 'code red for humanity'”, Reuters, 9 August 2021

[4] Calculations by the independent European think tank E3G. On Sunak’s role, see for example: “Rishi Sunak accused of blocking climate change plans by refusing to commit funding for net-zero drive”, The Independent, 11 August 2021

[5] As The Times wrote recently, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) puts the cost of net zero at £1.4 trillion over 30 years - less than the government has spent on the pandemic in 18 months - while failure to halt global warming could see Britain’s public debt hit 289% of GDP due to climate-related shocks. “The Times view on Tory opposition to net zero targets: No Cop Out”, The Times, 13 August 2021

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