29 Jan 2026
Cutting emissions is essential if we're to prevent even more extreme weather, protect nature and ensure a safer future for young people and future generations.
This means more investment in things like better buses, renewable energy, home insulation and nature restoration.
At the moment, the costs are being loaded onto people with regular incomes rather than wealthy people . Yet the wealthy are more responsible for emissions through their lifestyle and investments. As are the fossil fuel giants which have made huge profits.
It’s time to make polluters and the wealthy pay, not the rest of us.
Who pays for climate change effects if the wealthy don't?
If the government fails to make polluters and the wealthy pay for climate change effects, the costs will disproportionately fall on ordinary people. This will happen either through higher taxes, stealth taxes on bills or worse extreme weather.
What can local authorities do to make polluters pay?
Councils have very little power to make the biggest polluters pay and none to introduce wealth taxes. They can take minor action, for example charging giant SUVs more for residential parking. But mostly, they need to be pushing the government to do more.
What can the government do to make polluters pay?
The government has loaded costs on ordinary people through adding stealth taxes onto energy bills, such as subsidies for new nuclear power stations or energy debt write offs. These should be paid through income tax because this is a fairer system.
The government should also increase taxes on the fossil fuel giants. And they should make the wealthy pay more.
Unfair loopholes and far lower rates of tax on income from wealth than work mean the wealthiest in our society often pay proportionally lower taxes than the average person. Patriotic Millionaires, a network of wealthy people calling for fairer taxation, say a 2% tax on assets over £10 million would raise up to £24 billion. Wealthy people should also be taxed for their high emissions lifestyles like using private jets and flying much more than most people.
Watch out for climate change disinformation
There has been significant media coverage of claims that action on climate change is unaffordable for ordinary working people. But that's because the taxation system is unfair. Also, through the years governments have introduced stealth taxes.
'Polluter pays' taxes and wealth taxes can raise the money needed and ensure ordinary people benefit from warmer homes, cleaner air, better buses, cheaper energy bills and more.
Your voice matters
During elections politicians make more of an effort to listen. Tell them you care about climate change. Tell them you want polluters and wealthy people to pay. Ask them to sign-up to Friends of the Earth’s Charter for Climate Hope.