Want climate action for grownups? Become a climate Yimby

Instead of throwing soup at artwork, do something actually constructive and become a climate Yimby, suggests Chis Hocknell

Many modern climate activists think they are following in the suffragette’s footsteps. I would argue the opposite. Just Stop Oil’s ill-conceived attacks on sport, art and even Stonehenge are irreversibly toxic to the climate conversation. As a result, many moderate, climate-conscious citizens choose to simply stay silent. 

This needn’t be the case. The Labour Party has set out one of the loftiest climate agendas in British political history. To achieve their ambitions, the chorus of “Yes In My Back Yard” must be loud enough to drown out the noises made by the vocal minority. 

Climate is creeping up the agenda in the minds of voters. A 2023 survey found that 80 per cent of UK residents had some level of concern about climate change, while 75 per cent of Brits expect renewables to provide a boost to the British economy. 

Despite this public sentiment, climate activism remains alienating to many. Groups like Just Stop Oil are haemorrhaging support for the wider climate change agenda. A University of Bristol Survey found that 68 per cent of respondents disapprove of Just Stop Oil and its tactics. Adjacent environmental groups have been infected by optical overspill; the electorate has placed groups like Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion in the same mental bucket as Just Stop Oil. 

This disillusion is understandable. Beyond the nuisance of stopping flights and traffic, the battle cry of ‘Just Stop Oil’, (often spelt out on plastic placards that were made with oil), strikes many as simply… childish? 

The truth is that Britain needs some climate activists, but not of the variety we’ve become accustomed to. For Keir Starmer’s far-flung Net Zero ambition to become a reality, he needs to not only build a lot of wind and solar farms, but will need to double down on nuclear power. 

He cannot do this by bulldozing planning laws alone. He needs explicit, ongoing support from the public. For Britain’s fantasies of emerging as a renewable superpower to become a reality, we need local people to say ‘Yes In My Back Yard’. 

Of course, Keir Starmer has done what he said he would: back the “builders, not the blockers”, as per his manifesto. He will fast-track planning approvals, has lifted the moratorium on onshore wind and aims to accelerate investment through the government’s new (and nationalised) energy company, Great British Energy. 

Given the scale of Labour’s ambition, the scale and depth of these reforms are essential. For Labour’s net zero plan to be realised, some quite remarkable things would need to happen. Our onshore wind capacity will need to be doubled. Solar capacity will need to be tripled. The amount of offshore wind capacity will need to be quadrupled. Yet in order to balance this onset of renewable power, Britain will need to supercharge its nascent nuclear industry. 

Even without local objections, Labour’s plan is fanciful. Take onshore wind; Labour would need around 35 gigawatts of onshore wind capacity. We have approximately 15 gigawatts today. When the fastest build-out in the last 10 years has been around 1.5 gigawatts per annum, 20 gigawatts of onshore wind in six years is more than an aggressive target. 

Yet this is why climate Yimbys will be even more crucial. Polling shows that public support for onshore can be very high at 78 per cent. Yet under previous laws, onshore wind proposals can be stopped by the very vocal Nimby (Not In My Back Yard) minority, often aided and abetted via a plethora of policies and bodies which are used to block development. Cue bemusement by politicians and civil servants unable to work out why can’t Britain build things anymore.

To balance this renewable power, British energy will need a consistent baseload. If that doesn’t come from fossil fuels, it must come from nuclear. Public support for nuclear is far lower; as of 2023, British public support for nuclear dwindled at 41 per cent. This further underlines the need for an active, vocal Yimby advocacy. 

Despite Keir’s theoretical deep planning reforms, there will inevitably still be Nimby resistance to new onshore wind, solar and unclear proposals, on the grounds of aesthetics, property depreciation and wildlife concerns. This could come in the form of demands for reviews, petitions and grassroot-funded legal battles. 

This is where climate Yimbys could provide a useful counterweight. By locally expressing explicit support for new onshore wind and solar farms, climate Yimbys can help to push through planning applications where they may have otherwise faltered. 

While climate Yimbyism is a relatively new concept, Yimbys who support affordable, or even luxury, housing are more established. Climate Yimbys could do well to cut and paste some tactics from the housing Yimbys’ playbook. 

Building coalitions is a good place to start. Nimbys have far more policy levers to pull, in the form of advocating for protected species or English heritage. 

To counter this asymmetrical power, creating supportive coalitions and alliances for renewable energy projects will be essential. Outfits like the Yimby Alliance could start to educate the public about the benefits of supporting local renewable projects too. 

Education plays a large role. Being vocal in our local communities about both the economic and environmental opportunities presented by renewables could go a long way in creating local support. Ultimately, a message received from a neighbour or friend carries far more weight than one delivered by a politician. 

The government could do more to strengthen the climate yimbys’ argument. The planning reforms might be somewhat of a stick, while Keir will need to offer a form of carrot. 

If some of these new renewable projects are built under the remit of Great British Energy, the government will have greater power to use these projects to benefit local communities. Could those who live near a new renewable development be offered stakes in its ownership? Could proceeds be used to fund local councils, or used to reduce energy bills? Such offers could make the benefits of a local wind or solar farm more salient in the minds of more climate-neutral voters. 

Labour has a mandate, and it looks like it wants to try and follow through on its grand net zero ambition. For the electorate, voting should be seen as the bare minimum of democratic action. To pull off their plan, Labour desperately needs the public to engage in an active, constructive form of democracy. 

Climate activists shouldn’t make unrealistic demands by doing unreasonable things. Instead, they should express explicit support for the colossal construction job that Labour has ahead of them. Perhaps in Yimbyism, we have finally found a form of climate activism that is actually suitable for grownups? 

Chris Hocknell is founder of Eight Versa