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 Rishi Sunak to step up in this critical budget, and give the funds that are necessary to make our homes fit for the future - please use our tool and share it with your friends too!
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”, The Independent, 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