With each passing day, we are constantly reminded of the dangers to our ways of living that Climate Change imposes on us, as well as the increased possibility that we shall soon reach a global warming of 4°C above preindustrial levels. The consequences of a seemingly insignificant change in temperature are more catastrophic than we may initially believe; The Green Facts, a non-profit project summarising reports on the environment and sustainability, state that some of the consequences of an increase in temperature such as this would increase the risks for food production caused by dry regions getting dryer and wet regions becoming wetter, an increased frequency of high-intensity cyclones in tropical regions and an overall irreversible loss of biodiversity – such as the coral reefs. 1 Representative from different political parties within the United Kingdom have been making their stances on the crisis known to the public by either discussing their plans with other world leaders in the United Nations General Assembly or presenting pol cies that they believe will be the most beneficial for the country. The United Nations General Assembly was held on Wednesday the 24 th of September 2025 and had each member echo the severity of the climate crisis and their own plans to cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions.
The voice for the United Kingdom in this summit was the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, whose concerns for climate crisis was with each member of the United Nations that is involved in the COP29 – The 29th Climate Change Summit involving a significant increase in climate finance to 300 billion USD annually by 2035 – continuing to deliver on their Nationally Determined Contributions to keep the world on track for a 1.9°C global warming instead of the predicted 4°C. Lammy also mentions that the United Kingdom’s dedication to reaching the new temperature target of overall global warming and reducing greenhouse gas emissions has helped to grow the country’s green economy three times faster than the economy overall. What this means is that there has been an increased demand from the people for more sustainable products and services to aid in our everyday lives that the country has seemingly been placed on a path that should soon lead them to a reduced carbon footprint and push for solutions that are more environmentally friendly as well as economically efficient.
While this does initially seem to be the overarching consensus of the country, there still remain handfuls of individuals whose standpoints do not align with what Lammy claims, alternatively believing that the government should prioritise the country’s economic growth over the current global climate crisis. Leader of the UK Conservative Party Kemi Badenoch is one of those individuals who want the economic status of the UK to be at the forefront of these discussions and completely scrap the failed targets of the Climate Change Act, a framework that Britain was passed by a Labour government 17 years ago and has approximately tens of billions of pounds invested into it. 3 Badenoch has said that replacing the Climate Change Act with a new energy source that she and the Conservative party see as cheaper and more reliable would be more beneficial for Britain, arguing that the green economy that Lammy claims to currently aiding the country has actually done very little or almost nothing to cut global emissions. These claims have however placed Badenoch under some controversy with various conservation charities and energy groups, one of which – the energy secretary Ed Miliband – saying that a policy such as this would be more of an “economic disaster and a total betrayal of future generations” than a success. 4 Other people within these groups echo the possible damage to UK’s economic status, as they currently do not recognise any data or evidence from Badenoch that proves removing the Climate Change Act would have as much on an impact on the economy as she claims.