On 14 July we wrote to Ed Miliband and Andy Burnham to find out about the UK government plans following the UK delegation attending the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands in April 2026.
Dear Mr Miliband and Mr Burnham,
Feminist perspectives on a just transition away from fossil fuels
At the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF UK), we were pleased when you told us that there would be a UK government delegation attending the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands in April 2026.
After hearing different reports of the conference, we are writing to find out what your delegation was able to learn from this event and how, specifically, it will affect your actions.
It was reported in The Guardian on 9 July that there are plans to spend £264 billion of taxpayers’ and private sector money on carbon capture and storage (CCS) over the next 25 years. However, research shows that carbon capture and storage is not yet effectively tested at scale, while the promise would allow the fossil fuel industry to carry on regardless and avoid addressing the climate crisis we are so obviously now enduring.
The fossil fuel industry is at the root cause of the climate crisis. In addition, continuing fossil fuel dependence perpetuates ongoing systems of patriarchy, colonialism, militarism and exploitation. From WILPF’s feminist perspective, we are painfully aware that women are among those most affected, and bear the heaviest burdens from fossil fuel extraction and pollution. And fossil fuels fuel conflict. From wars over oil to militarised fossil fuel extraction sites, fossil fuel dependence and structural violence are intertwined.
There are alternatives to fossil fuel extraction that would put the needs of people first – especially women and children who are particularly affected – and such developments would actually lead us to a just transition away from fossil fuels. WILPF advocates investing in developing renewables (for example, water projects such as wave and tidal energy, and wind turbines), upgrading the national grid to cope, developing community-based energy projects and enhancing battery storage. These measures would fulfil the needs of communities without the use of fossil fuels, and expensive and as yet unproven carbon capture and storage.
The savings on carbon capture and storage could help to cover the costs of some of the positive projects that Andy Burnham has been talking about.
WILPF would be very interested to hear from you.
Yours in peace
