Letter to my MP regarding the impact of Net Zero policies on workers
I was prompted by an excellent SubStack article by my friend David O’Toole, a long-standing trade unionist, where he highlights the impact of Net Zero on working people.
I have just sent the following letter to my Labour MP Elsie Blundell. As background I have been having many discussions with Elsie about Net Zero Energy policy making and how it is fundamentally contributing to the de-industrialisation of the UK.
More recently I have been helping to run a campaign Say No To Scout Moor 2 where we are opposing a major new wind farm development on our moors. So far we have not managed to convince Elsie or her other Labour colleagues in the area about the damage that the wind farm will cause. However, ever hopeful I thought that providing Elsie with a trade union perspective might help to persuade. We shall see.
If you are in a similar position you might like to use this letter as a template to use with your own MP.
Dear Elsie,
It was great to meet you last week and thank you for the time you made for us – it was much appreciated. Today, I am writing to you personally rather than as a member of the Say No to Scout Moor 2 campaign and picking up on our previous discussions about the problems inherent in Net Zero energy policy. I was prompted by a recent article by a friend of mine, David O’Toole, who has been a long-standing trade unionist, where he highlights the impact of Net Zero on working people in his post Net Zero is a trade union issue.
As you know, the core purpose of trade unions and the wider labour movement has historically been to defend workers in struggle, protect their jobs, and improve working conditions. There is a growing concern that the focus on achieving Net Zero is creating tension with these fundamental objectives.
He raises one particularly stark warning which is the risk of oil and gas workers becoming "the miners of net zero"and highlights that the future of over 30,000 oil and gas jobs hangs in the balance. David argues that closing down these industries without a comprehensive plan could lead to the same fate for oil and gas communities as the coal closures brought to mining towns across the UK, which "broke the back" of those communities.
Furthermore, his argument is that fossil fuels are likely to be needed for the foreseeable future, and that advocating for a ban "without a plan" would be disastrous. A key concern is that simply banning UK production could result in these jobs and industries moving overseas.
I have to agree with David that Net Zero legislation and the environmentalist movement's constant arguments for related measures will impoverish and diminish the lives of the working class. Surely this is contrary to the fundamental aims of the trade union movement?
There is a rising tension between what are termed "luxury beliefs" of a vocal minority and the real-world concerns of ordinary people, particularly regarding livelihoods. Some of the arguments against protecting fossil fuel jobs show a detachment from the struggles of working-class communities. Unfortunately, the climate debate is often framed in a way that makes it seem outside the remit of ordinary people, potentially using cherry-picked science to support an ideology.
Given that a significant part of your constituency is made up of working families, I believe it is crucial that these potential negative impacts on jobs and communities are carefully considered as Net Zero policies are debated and implemented. The priority should be on the application of common sense and a positive vision in defence of jobs and communities.
I urge you to take these concerns seriously and ensure that any transition plans actively protect the livelihoods and communities of workers who may be affected, learning from the difficult lessons of past industrial closures.
As we discussed previously, my background in physics research and study of climate science issues for over 20 years gives me a perspective you might find useful to explore in support of a better understanding of energy policy making. If you would like to take advantage of this perspective, I would be very happy to get together with you and your team to discuss further.
Thank you for taking the time to consider this important issue,
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Steve Davison
David’s original article which stimulated my letter:
Wow, Steve. Thanks for the mention. Great Substack post. Keep up the good work.
Reply from my MP:
"A tabled question was submitted on this subject and Michael Shanks, MP responded with the following:
The Government is committed to a managed just transition for the North Sea, supporting affected regions and communities as the energy system evolves. It recently consulted on ‘Building the North Sea’s Energy Future’ to unlock long-term clean energy investment in the basin while delivering economic opportunities across the affected regions. A response setting out its next steps will be published in due course. The Office for Clean Energy Jobs will continue to coordinate work to support building the skilled workforce we need for the clean energy and net zero transition."