Topic Primers

Energy and Environment

What does the Bible say?

Tending to the earth has always been part of God’s good plan for humanity: man’s employment history begins with a gardener!

But although God instructed mankind to ‘fill the earth and subdue it’ (Genesis 1:28), this was not to be an exploitative rule where we could do whatever we liked. Man was given dominion, but it was never supposed to be domination. Ultimately, we are God’s stewards: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1).

It is no surprise to see creation out of kilter. When mankind fell, creation fell with it, and the relationship between man and the world was broken. God cursed the ground, which brought forth thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:17-18). Man-made climate change is an example of the way that humans come into conflict with a fallen creation.

But the effects of this are far-reaching. Droughts in East Africa have led to 22 million people being at risk of severe hunger. More than 4 million acres of crops have been destroyed in Pakistan. Rising sea levels put large numbers of people across the world at risk from severe flooding. Some of those who will be hit hardest are the most disadvantaged, in developing nations; as Christians, we want to “love our neighbour”, even when they are on the other side of the world.

However, the extreme language used by activists is provoking real fear and anxiety. Just Stop Oil have said that “New oil and gas is an act of genocide”; others talk of ‘global extinction’. Such apocalyptic language is not part of the better story God gives us: Jesus says, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear” (Matthew 6:25).

As Christians, we do not believe that the world will end until the Lord Jesus himself comes back and puts everything right. That does not excuse us from our responsibility to steward the earth, but it does mean that we should not give in to despair. Jesus has already defeated the curse of the fall.

One day our world will come to an end, not as a result of carbon emissions, but as the true King returns to His world, when we will see a ‘new heaven and a new earth’ (Revelation 21:1). Then we will no longer worry about our natural resources, for ‘New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills’ (Amos 9:14). Looking after God’s creation does genuinely matter. But we do not do it without hope.

Questions to think about

Is a party encouraging sustainability in multiple areas of life?
Which energy sources is a party considering, and will it set the UK up for long-term prosperity if hostilities continue with Russia?
Are a party’s policies looking to protect the disadvantaged, or are they likely to penalise them?
Is a party uttering doomsday predictions, and if so, is that for political gain?

What have the parties said?

  • While the Conservatives are committed to reducing Britain’s carbon emissions and reaching Net Zero by 2050, they have moved away from some of the measures which were designed to achieve this, in order to not be unfair on consumers.
  • This has included delaying the ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars from 2030 until 2035, and slowing the speed at which landlords have to make changes to their homes to improve their energy efficiency.
  • The Conservatives support the use of other forms of energy in principle, including nuclear power, although the implementation of some measures has divided the party (such as questions around building onshore wind farms).
  • They have also begun to crack down on environmental protests which disrupt day-to-day life, such as by groups like Just Stop Oil.
  • Labour is intending to move Britain towards Net Zero, although its plans are now less comprehensive than they were previously, having abandoned its pledge to spend £28 billion/year on the Green Economy. 
  • They aspire to develop a publicly-owned, clean power energy, Great British Energy, to cut bills and provide financial security for households. They are also intending to implement higher taxes on oil and gas companies.
  • Labour is in favour of most clean energy sources, including nuclear power, wind power and solar power.
  • Labour have vowed to clamp down on water companies that harm the environment and pollute rivers with automatic fines, as well as giving powers to the industry regulator to block bonuses until water bosses have cleaned up the pollution. 
  • The environment is currently a big focus for the Lib Dems, and they currently call it “the biggest threat to human existence”. 
  • They are committed to reaching net zero by 2045 and to significantly investing in renewable power so that 80% of the UK’s electricity is generated from renewables by 2030. Historically, they have been opposed to nuclear power.
  • They have spoken out strongly against water companies dumping sewage into rivers, lakes and coastal areas, and want to set targets to double the area of wildlife habitats. 
  • Investing in the green economy currently makes up a central focus of their economic strategy: they are committed to investing in home insulation, would implement a one-off windfall tax on oil and gas producers and traders, and want to incentivise businesses “to invest in new clean technologies in order to grow the economy, create good jobs and tackle the climate emergency.”
  • The Green Party believes that “the climate emergency is the greatest issue of our time” and that ‘the UK should play a leading role by strengthening international agreements and rapidly reducing its own emissions’. 
  • The Green Party supports the aims of the Paris Agreement to hold the increases to the average global temperature below 2 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels, and to seek to limit any rise to 1.5 degrees celsius. 
  • The Green Party wants the UK to eliminate all carbon dioxide emissions within 10 years and to make overcoming any technological, political, and social obstacles a national priority. 
  • The Green Party will invest heavily in energy efficiency, decarbonising of the UK economic system, as well as aim to reform the capitalist financial system, and establish and deploy effective carbon capture technologies. 
  • Reform have been outspoken in their opposition to Net Zero, and while believing that Climate Change is occurring, want to have an “honest debate” about the extent to which it is man-made, and what should be done in response to it. 
  • Reform are far less interested in renewable sources of energy than other parties, and are willing to use Britain’s natural supply of fossil fuels. Prioritising keeping energy bills down in Britain, Reform wants to fast-track licences of North Sea gas and oil and to grant shale gas licences on test sites for 2 years. They are also strong supporters of using nuclear energy.
  • They also believe that the energy market should be 50% in public ownership, to stop Britain being at the mercy of overseas forces in the energy-market, citing the recent spike after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 
  • The SNP has been vocal on the need to protect an estimated 90,000 jobs in North Sea Oil whilst Scotland pursues a “just transition” to renewable energy.
  • The party has opposed Labour’s plan to raise a windfall tax on fossil fuels from 75 percent of excess profits to 78 percent. However, opposed Rishi Sunak’s decision to delay a ban on new petrol and diesel cars from 2030-35.
  • Scotland’s wind power potential has been a regular feature in party output, and the manifesto may include a call to expand the number of offshore and onshore turbines.
  • The SNP has called for the UK Government to introduce a yearly £400 energy bill discount for households, and abolish electricity and gas standing charges.
  • Previous statements by the party also suggest that it supports a social energy tariff to help disabled households cope with rising energy bills.
  • The SNP have supported a number of green measures including a bottle return scheme and energy efficient devices in homes, and endorsed a previous plan by Labour to “turbocharge investment” in green energy by spending £28 billion a year.
  • Plaid Cymru believes there is a “climate emergency” and wishes to reach a Welsh net-zero target by 2035. 
  • Plaid Cymru wants to establish ‘Ynni Cymru as an energy development company with a target of generating 100 per cent of electricity within Wales from renewables by 2035.’
  • By 2030 Plaid Cymru wants zero waste to go to landfill and to put an end to all waste incineration in Wales. 
  • Plaid Cymru will increase funding into flood defences and management systems in Wales. 
  • The party would establish a Nature Act with a view to improving biodiversity and set out a National Nature Plan to develop and protect a network of wildlife sites across Wales. 
  • The DUP has often been accused of being on the side of climate denial. While individual elected representatives of the party have adopted extreme positions on the environment and climate change policies, the party has adopted mainstream environmental positions, while stressing this should be balanced with the rights of the rural community. While policy positions addressing climate change have been adopted in recent years, the environment is viewed by many as not being a key priority for the party.
  • The UUP describes itself as ‘the responsible party of unionism’ when it comes to climate change. This is in contrast to what some believe is a climate sceptic stance of other unionist parties.
  • The party highlights that Northern Ireland is a significant net exporter of agri-food products with nearly 50% of all agri-food products produced in Northern Ireland consumed in the rest of the UK. As the smallest region within the UK Northern Ireland supplies a disproportionate amount of food, feeding approximately 10 million citizens in the UK annually. The independent Climate Change Committee has stated that for the UK to reach the Net Zero target a fair contribution from NI would be an 82% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050 compared to 1990 levels. This threshold of 82% is advocated by the party, however has been rejected by the Assembly.
  • Sinn Féin was to the fore in delivering climate legislation for the north that is ambitious, fair and deliverable in reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 in line with the rest of Ireland.
  • They say that it is crucial to to develop abundant provision of solar, tidal, and onshore and offshore wind resources across the island and off our coast. They want to develop an all Ireland policy to release the potential of green hydrogen.
  • The SDLP want the NI Executive to declare a climate emergency. The party is committed to taking advantage of the opportunity of climate change to tackle the climate crisis while building a green economy. They call for a Green New Deal, to support their move to net zero and to create a new generation of well paid, socially productive, jobs. They support investing in renewable technologies and they will incentivise greener energy production to position NI as a leader in green technologies.
  • Alliance are strong advocates of tackling the climate emergency. They advocate for the passing of an Environment Bill – to create an independent Environmental Protection Agency and to set legally binding targets for restoration of species and habitats. As part of their plan, Alliance will expedite investment in green energies, to reduce reliance on oil, coal and gas.
  • A significant focus for Alliance is around animal welfare – they will ban puppy farming, strengthen the regulation of the legal puppy trade, improve information-sharing so that people who are banned from keeping domestic animals are prevented from doing so and to ban hunting with dogs.

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James 4:17

17If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

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Isaiah 9:16

16Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray.

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Genesis 1:28

28 God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’

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