"No Growth on a Dead Planet"

Green New Deal Rising are fighting Labour's climate betrayal using the power of community, playful disruption, and collective joy.

This Labour government has broken its promises on workers rights. It has watered down proposals to tax private equity and non-doms. And now it’s backtracking on the promises it made to the climate movement.

First, came the announcement that Reeves is backing the proposed third runway at Heathrow. Then, the leadership signalled that it was likely to give the go ahead to the proposed new Rosebank oil field in the North Sea. And they’ve continued dishing out subsidies to big polluters like Drax.

The vast majority of people in the UK want the country to meet its net zero targets. So, why is Labour introducing policies that guarantee we won’t?

I spoke to Zak Coleman at Green New Deal Rising about why Labour is failing on decarbonization, and how he and his fellow activists are fighting back.

No Growth on a Dead Planet

“This government is pitting economic growth against climate action”, says Zak.

“They’re spreading the lie that economic prosperity comes at the expense of the planet that our economy exists on. But there’s no growth on a dead planet.”

Green New Deal Rising argue that Reeves’ obsession with a very narrow vision of economic growth won’t deliver prosperity for the vast majority of people. It will, however, benefit the rich.

“The profits for something like Rosebank are going to an oil giant that's based outside of the UK. The profits from Heathrow expansion are mostly going to be enjoyed by airline executives.”

The private equity industry launched a successful lobbying campaign to force Labour to climb down on its promises to tax the sector. Now, the fossil fuel industry and its financial backers are doing the same.

“There was that infamous picture of Labour politicians sat around a table with asset managers like Blackrock – institutions that want airports to expand, and oil fields to continue being approved.”

If Labour continues to face unopposed pressure from fossil fuel lobbyists and powerful financial institutions, all it’s climate pledges will be out the window before long.

A Strategic Opportunity

But the polluting industries aren’t the only ones with a plan to influence the Labour leadership. Green New Deal Rising might not have the resources available to an institution like Blackrock, but they have thousands of committed activists facing up against a divided Labour Party.

“There’s all this latent discontent within the parliamentary Labour Party, and we want to build on that,” says Zak.

“Their poll ratings are through the floor, and Reform is on the rise. Many MPs stand to lose their seats change. We've seen so many prime ministers brought down over the last few years from MP discontent. So, we see this as a strategic opportunity.”

The issue is that many Labour MPs are convinced that backing down on their climate pledges is the only way to convince voters they’re committed to raising living standards. This is a view that has become much more entrenched since the cost of living crisis, which the right managed to blame on ‘woke’ green policies.

“Farage is doing well because he’s pushing for a massive shake up to the system. We need to counter that by pushing for an even bigger shake up – by redistributing wealth, investing in communities, and tackling the climate crisis,” says Zak.

“We need to convince backbench MPs that the reason this government is failing is that it isn’t actually addressing the problems with the economic status quo.”

Relational Organsing

Their plan is to mobilize their activist base to contact MPs, encouraging them to push back against Reeve’s anti-climate agenda. If you want to take part, you can contact your MP on behalf of the campaign using this link.

I asked Zak how they were planning to reach out beyond Green New Deal’s existing network of activists to ensure they had a real impact. He spoke about the group’s strategy of ‘relational organising’.

“We are all rooted in communities and networks – from family members, to friends, and community groups. These are all people who can be brought into political organizing if we actually ask our people to have those conversations.”

Green New Deal Rising organisers phone the activists in their database to encourage them to take action, before asking them to contact a few of their friends and family to do the same.

“A couple of emails from one person who cares about something is quite ignorable, but more emails than usual, with repeated contacts and pressure is more noticeable. So, we're asking all of our everyone who has sent an email to pass it on to five other people in their lives.”

Starting off with a small ask, like sending an email, allows the group to engage people who might not have been involved in organising before. And once someone has taken that first step, they can be encouraged to get involved in more direct forms of organising.

“Once they’ve emailed their MP, a member of our team will contact then contact them to follow up about organising in their community or becoming part of a local group. Then they can sign up for one of our WhatsApp groups, and our mailing list if they want to get more involved.”

The next step of the strategy is taking the pressure to MPs in person, by encouraging activists to organise pop up meetings outside their MPs’ constituency offices.

“We’re also planning direct confrontations with MPs, which is a tactic we’ve become quite well known for,” says Zak.

During the election, the group made headlines by disrupting Keir Starmer’s manifesto launch speech to demand more ambitious climate policies. They also went viral on social media with an attempt to deliver a prop spine to Starmer outside Parliament.

“Last week, we tried to deliver Rachel Reeves a prop shredder, with the UK government’s climate commitments half shredded,” Zak told me with a grin.

Joyful Organising

The enthusiasm, playfulness, and joy of Green New Deal Rising’s activists is contagious. They’re masters of the kind of playful activism that makes everyone feel welcome.

I asked Zak what he’d say to someone who is thinking about joining the campaign, but isn’t 100% sure.

“The far right in Germany just got 20%. We're looking at Reform sweeping the next general election. If there was ever a time to get involved in organizing, it's now. And that organizing can't just be in the six weeks or eight weeks, or an election campaign in 2029. It has to start now.”

In true Green New Deal Rising style, Zak also pointed out that organising is fun.

“People make lifelong friends and meet their partners – all sorts of great things come out of political organizing that has nothing to do with the political outcome.”

As I wrote in my first ever post on this blog, most of us know that capitalism is failing, but we all feel too powerless and isolated to take action. The thing I love about Green New Deal Rising is that they provide an entry point into organising for those who feel powerless and alone.

“It can be it can be big, or it can be small, but you will feel better knowing that you did something.”

If you want to take that first step, you can email your MP today using this link: https://www.gndrising.org/campaigns/theres-no-growth-on-a-dead-planet/?utm_source=gracesubstack

If you want to join an ‘action-takers’ WhatsApp group, or take direct action, sign up here: https://www.gndrising.org/campaigns/theres-no-growth-on-a-dead-planet/?utm_source=gracesubstack