The climate and energy campaign

We live in an era of energy injustice. The corporate grip over energy keeps 1.3 billion people around the world without access to electricity, and privatisation is putting fair levels of energy access even further out of reach.

Meanwhile, the British government is using UK aid to support privitisation in places like Nigeria.

Multinational companies burn huge amounts of coal, oil and gas for their own profit, destroying people’s communities and livelihoods, whilst the UK finance sector pours billions of pounds into fossil fuels. Climate change is beginning to wreak havoc through drought, famine and increased flooding.

Yet our politicians are caught up in a web of power with that same finance industry and the fossil fuel industry.

Energy justice: power to the people

To ensure everyone has access to energy and tackle climate change, we need to take control of energy from big business and finance. A just energy system is one where energy is fairly distributed and democratically controlled and managed, recognising environmental limits.

Around the world, people are resisting coal mines and oil companies, fighting against privatisation and campaigning to stem the flow of money to coal, oil and gas. Communities are building sustainable and fair energy systems and winning access to energy for the first time. We’re standing with them.

>>> Read more in our Energy Justice briefing

What we are doing

We are working with allies around the world to build the call for energy justice. We are challenging corporate control of the energy sector. In particular, we are challenging the way the UK government is pushing energy privatisation around the world. We are advocating a fairer world in which everyone has access to clean, sustainable and affordable energy.

We’ve highlighted the intricate web of power connecting UK government ministers to the finance and energy companies fuelling climate change.

Our campaigning has helped amplify the voices of people in Indonesia and Colombia who are struggling to stop coal mines destroying their land and their lives.

We’re also part of the global movement to pull the plug on fossil fuel finance, having started the call for big UK banks to pull out of coal, the most damaging of fossil fuels. We have also taken action all across the city of London, outside investment banks such as Black Rock, and the annual general meetings of the UK’s high street banks bringing the issue directly to the heart of the problem.

And we’re peitioning the development secretary to use the UK aid budget for real energy solutions and stop aid for energy privatisation.