Net Zero: Civil Society and Faith-based Organisations

Thursday 8th January 2026 Lords Chamber

Question

11:20

Asked by

[The Lord Bishop of Norwich]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to include civil society and faith-based organisations in work to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

[The Minister of State, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Lord Whitehead) (Lab)]

Our recently published Energising Britain plan sets out how we will work with communities so that everyone can benefit from our clean energy superpower mission. It highlights how we are already engaging people and local organisations to design and deliver climate and nature policies that reflect people’s needs and views. The plan also outlines new ways to collaborate, including an annual “Energising Britain” event and the Youth for Climate and Nature panel.

[The Lord Bishop of Norwich]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. Gus Speth at Yale said that the real issue in reaching net zero is tackling “selfishness, greed and apathy”. Pope Francis called for an ecological “conversion”. Both civil society and faith-based organisations can provide thought leadership in this sphere. I wonder whether the Minister might share with us his thoughts on how we can build upon that in implementing the strategy that he has just outlined so that these groups can be more engaged in the ongoing dialogue about net zero.

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

The Energising Britain plan, among many other things, sets out ways in which local communities and faith groups can play a central role not just in the clean energy superpower mission but on the road to net zero. In my experience, working with local communities, covenants and faith groups in various parts of Southampton has proven a tremendous moral driver to that mission. I hope that the Energising Britain plan will take full account of just how much moral and practical leadership can come about as a result of energising those communities and local faith groups.

[Lord McColl of Dulwich (Con)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that, as there is no scientific evidence that we can change the climate, the right reverend Prelate’s bishop friends are relying for their scientific information on supernatural powers?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

The noble Lord will be pleased to know that I do not agree with anything that he has said this morning in this Chamber. It is absolutely clear that the science says that we have a severe problem as far as global warming is concerned, and we need to take action to deal with it. That is precisely what we are doing in government at the moment.

[Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Lab)]

My Lords, there will be a number of civil society and faith-based organisations in the ex-mining areas of South Yorkshire. Does my noble friend the Minister agree that reaching out to them, perhaps through parish councils, would be an excellent way of explaining the benefits of net zero in creating local jobs? For example—he will not be surprised to hear this from me—Sheffield Forgemasters could play a role in manufacturing small modular reactors and other renewable equipment.

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

The question of how local communities, particularly those which have previously been involved in the high-carbon economy, can ensure that they are not left behind in the low-carbon economy is very important to us. The question of a just transition to net zero is also very important. My noble friend mentioned Sheffield Forgemasters, which is crucial to the local communities and the areas of Sheffield in which it resides. Ensuring that the content of future low-carbon energy projects is as high as possible within the UK, and preferably comes to those local industries, is an important part of that just transition.

[Lord Bird (CB)]

Does the Minister agree that getting rid of poverty would be one of the greatest ways of achieving net zero?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

I completely agree with the noble Lord that getting to net zero is an ethical and—shall we say?—spiritual concept that involves justice in the process. Justice involves getting rid of poverty, among other things. But I remind the noble Lord that low-carbon activity—for example, cutting substantial money from people’s energy bills as a part of that process—is a substantial way of cutting poverty on the road to net zero.

[Earl Russell (LD)]

My Lords, three in four of our young people are moderately or extremely concerned about the impact of climate change. What action are the Government taking to include young people much more in decision-making processes to make sure that their voices are heard? Specifically, I ask the Minister: what intention do the Government have to have citizens’ assemblies so that young people’s voices are included in policy-making?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

The noble Earl will be aware of the many actions that the Government are undertaking to ensure that young people are committed, involved and energised as far as climate change and net zero are concerned. That is among the reasons why we have developed the Youth for Climate and Nature panel, which is part of our Energising Britain plan. It is also the case that some of the highest commitment to the green transition to low-carbon energy is to be found among young people, and they therefore need to be fundamentally included at both the community and faith level in the work that we are doing.

[Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist (Con)]

My Lords, notwithstanding the Minister’s original Answer referencing the Government’s Energising Britain plan, the Government’s shortened clean energy objective is disfiguring huge swathes of the countryside and alienating local communities. A 180-kilometre transmission line is being built from Norwich to Tilbury; Carmarthenshire residents have been locked in a battle with authorities over pylons for over two years; and most recently a new 71-acre substation is being proposed in north Cumbria despite opposition from locals. Given that by the time many of these projects are completed undergrounding cables will have become far more affordable—already, comparative costs for undergrounding have plummeted from 10 to four times that of overgrounding—does the Minister believe that this approach is the best way to win the support of rural communities for net zero?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

The noble Baroness will be well aware of the tremendous amount of work that needs to be done on the infrastructure changes to bring about net-zero energy for the future. Of course, that entails bringing forward new infrastructure—which, by the way, the previous Administration completely fell down on in terms of the green transition—but that needs to be done, in terms of the theme of our discussion today, with the involvement of local communities and local areas in getting that new infrastructure in place in a satisfactory way. The question of undergrounding or otherwise of cables for the future is something that clearly needs to be considered, as does the overall benefit of that new infrastructure for those communities in terms of bringing their bills down, bringing clean energy to their communities and making sure that the green transition is carried forward as best as possible at local level.

[Lord Spellar (Lab)]

I commend the Minister for his favourable mention of government/publicly owned Sheffield Forgemasters and its role in the small modular reactor programme. Could he therefore reassure the House that the vessels for the first-in-class modular reactors, which we are funding through Rolls-Royce, will in fact be built at Sheffield Forgemasters and not shipped in from overseas?

[Lord Whitehead (Lab)]

As I think my noble friend will be aware, we are in the process of developing a first modular nuclear reactor with Rolls-Royce. Considerable progress has been made in that development but as yet no decisions have been taken about exactly where the components of that new modular reactor will be built, subject to the general commitment that the highest possible percentage of the components for small nuclear reactors, and other parts of the nuclear programme, will be sourced in the UK. Certainly, it will be the Government’s intention to make sure that that commitment is met to the greatest possible degree.