Rebekah Hill: Fair share shows Starmer is failing on climate

Keir Starmer says the UK is “leading the way” in the climate crisis, but last year we pumped out 476 million tonnes of carbon dioxide – that’s more than six tonnes each. Over the last four centuries the UK has poured out more than 2 billion tonnes, while the people of Tuvalu – an island in the Pacific that could be underwater by 2050 – have released 300,000 tonnes at a rate of less than two tonnes a year per head.

It’s obvious Starmer is failing the challenge of global heating. But how much should he be doing? Step forward fair share.

Working out each country’s fair share starts with the global carbon budget – the maximum amount of carbon the world can emit before climate breakdown. Then you look at how much harm a country has already done through its historic emissions and how much a country can really do to cut emissions – taking into account each country’s right to a decent standard of living. 

Experts agree that under the government’s current climate framework the UK isn’t doing its fair share. In fact, Starmer’s plans are so full of holes that it’s putting us all at risk – breaching our right to family life.

It’s not just about protecting people in faraway places. This summer, heatwaves delayed trains and destroyed crops across the UK. Sea level rise is swallowing our coastal communities. And a 10-day heatwave in June likely killed 263 people in London alone, hitting diverse neighbourhoods 15 times harder.

But we know how to fix this.

We need to stop producing the fossil fuels that are driving global heating. So the government needs to set a target for turning off the taps and stick to it – with no new coal mines or oil fields. It’s astonishing that Starmer has put aside his manifesto and put fossil fuel projects in the North Sea back on the table.

We need to come clean on the carbon emissions the government has sent abroad – an accounting trick that makes other countries carry the can for carbon that’s really down to us, and puts jobs here at home under threat.

And we need to put our money where our mouth is. The UK is the sixth richest country in the world, but the government’s contributions towards vital measures to protect people from climate breakdown and adapt to global heating are nowhere near enough. Starmer needs to make a plan that measures up to the challenge and follow through.

We know how to tackle climate catastrophe. All we need is for corporations and governments to do their fair share.

Fair share is justice for coastal towns being swallowed by the sea. Fair share is justice for families struggling with the rising cost of living. Fair share is justice for our kids.

It’s not too late to build the future we deserve. Starmer just needs to do his fair share.