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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 17h

This blog is my take on the Tory Party vow this week to axe the Climate Change Act. This is not leadership. It is surrender to the commercial interests of fossil fuel barons at the cost of us all.

Pledge to axe UK Climate Change Act backfires

The attempts to turn the British public against climate action does not only make no scientific or economic sense, it makes no political sense.

www.e3g.org

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 5d

My take on the decision by Kemi Badenoch to end the fight against the climate crisis and torpedo the U.K. economy and a great critique by @fionaharvey.bsky.social of the falsehoods set out in the Tory press release. This action by Badenoch is utterly shameful.

As Tories vow to scrap ‘failed targets’, how do their climate claims stack up?

We fact check Kemi Badenoch and her party after she promised to repeal Climate Change Act if they win power

www.theguardian.com

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · 7d

Kemi Badenoch has now aligned the Tory party on climate with Trump and the far right parties of Europe. Tragic. It shows that she is more interested in the profits of oil and gas companies than the security of the country. The Tory party can no longer be trusted on the environment or the economy

Kemi Badenoch vows to repeal Climate Change Act

Tory leader says she would replace it with ‘cheap energy’ strategy, ending decades-long consensus on climate

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Ed Matthew

Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · Aug 30

There’s a persistent myth that new solar farms don’t really help tackle climate change because panels are “made with coal” and “never pay back” their carbon debt.

This is simply false.

- UN: solar ~8x cleaner than gas, ~19x than coal per kWh
- panels repay CO2 in 4 months; save 57x over life

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Aug 28

It doesn’t. Most of the potential savings come from helping households with heat pumps to access electricity when it is cheap. Making sure they are installed to a high standard of efficiency also provides big savings. Getting off gas will also save money. Some levies can be paid for my exchequer

Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Aug 28

And here is the graphic showing the potential for heat pumps to cost half as much to run as a gas boiler WITH policy reforms - full report is here : www.e3g.org/publications...

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Aug 28

www.theguardian.com/environment/... - our latest E3G report showing that with policy reform, running a heat pump could be half the price of running a gas boiler. The future is electric !

Heat pumps could halve heating bills with energy system reform, study finds

Steps to make electricity cheaper, such as ending levies, could transform prospects for pumps, thinktank shows

www.theguardian.com

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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · Jul 1

Ofgem just approved a record £24bn investment in gas & electric grids to 2031, making bills "£30 lower" than they would have been

Predictably, some usual-suspect media have mangled the reporting.

So here's a Really Simple guide to counterfactuals, with Bluey refs:

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Jun 6

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Labour warned to keep spending review in line with net zero or face legal action

Exclusive: Friends of the Earth tells Keir Starmer any major green cuts by Rachel Reeves will be challenged

www.theguardian.com

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Apr 30

All you need to know is that it has now been easily weaponised by those trying to undermine climate action. This means at very least they got their narrative very badly wrong and it has backfired. Either that or they were deliberately trying to offer a gift horse to Farage - I hope not

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Apr 30

The Tony Blair Institute should issue a public apology for putting out a climate ‘solutions’ report that has been so easily weaponised by those seeking to delay climate action. This was a gross misjudgement and it should have been properly vetted before publication - what a mess

Climate experts and politicians round on Tony Blair for ‘wrong message’

Former Labour PM accused of ‘handing talking points’ to Tories and Reform after saying net zero strategy faltering

www.theguardian.com

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Apr 29

This is one of the worst reports I’ve seen to date on the energy transition. It is divisive and inaccurate. In the U.K. people have not lost faith in climate action. The issue is just being weaponised by Farage and Badenoch because it is part of their culture war strategy to gain power #climate

Tony Blair says current net zero push 'doomed to fail'

The former PM's call for a change of course is rejected by Downing Street but welcomed by the Tories and Reform.

www.bbc.com

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Apr 25

See below my article in Environmental Politics on ‘reasons to be cheerful’ despite the massive challenges we face on climate action. When you get past the politics, there are economic meta trends that make the shift to clean energy unstoppable. Happy reading

Environmental Politics @environmentalpol.bsky.social · Apr 24

New guest post from @edmatthew.bsky.social: Reasons to be Cheerful pt 2.

"No matter the... spin from politicians or media moguls tied to the fossil fuel lobby, one thing is clear: the transition to net zero is not just necessary – it’s unstoppable"

environmentalpoliticsjournal.net/events/reaso...

Reasons to be Cheerful? Prospects for Climate Change Policy after the Year of Elections. Part 2.

In February 2025, the Political Studies Association (PSA) Environment Group and the PSA Elections, Public Opinion and Parties Group (EPOP) co-organised a one-day academic workshop on elections and climate change. The final panel was titled ‘Reasons to be Cheerful’. In this second guest post, panellist Ed Matthew shares his reflections on the theme.

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Mar 28

Latest gov 2024 figures show U.K. greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 54% (since 1990) and renewables made up over 50% of our electricity supply for first time. But gas is still driving up energy bills. We need to GET OFF GAS as soon as possible to bring down energy bills and boost our security

UK greenhouse gases fall again - as renewable electricity hits 50% for the first time

Greenpeace says it shows "the UK's efforts to tackle climate change are working" but the country is "still very much dependent on expensive and polluting gas".

news.sky.com

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E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism @e3g.bsky.social · Mar 26

🚨 In Today’s spring statement, UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has left a “huge open goal” by neglecting the clean economy as the primary driver for growth in the UK. Meanwhile, devastating cuts to overseas development aid undermine UK security.

Read our rapid reaction👇🧵

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Jan Rosenow @janrosenow.bsky.social · Mar 24

Solar is quickly becoming the cheapest source of electricity & will fundamentally change the energy system.

This paper argues that solar will be cheapest source of electricity around the world. Surprisingly this is AFTER including short- & long-term storage costs.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism @e3g.bsky.social · Mar 19

"By abandoning net-zero by 2050, Badenoch has sold out the interests of the British people to the fossil fuel industry." - @edmatthew.bsky.social in @desmog.bsky.social

The CCC recently said targeting net-zero would help cut household costs by £1,400 a year by 2050.

www.desmog.com/2025/03/18/k...

Kemi Badenoch Made Anti-Net Zero Speech at Shell Ad Agency

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch today ditched her party’s commitment to the UK’s flagship climate target in a speech hosted by an advertising group that works for Shell, DeSmog can reveal. During he...

www.desmog.com

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Reposted by Ed Matthew

E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism @e3g.bsky.social · Mar 6

📢 UK heat pump installations hit a record high!

A key driver? Boosting the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant. But high costs still block many. E3G’s @edmatthew.bsky.social says the govt must recommit in June’s spending review & expand support for low-income households.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level

Government-backed heat pump installations in the UK reached record levels for 2024.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Mar 7

Dogs prefer electric cars. Surely that is now the death knell for the fossil fuel car!

Electric VS Petrol: which car does your dog find more comfortable?

An experiment carried out by This Morning's resident vet, Dr Scott Miller, found dogs are 'more relaxed' when travelling in an EV in comparison to fuel powered cars

www.dailystar.co.uk

Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Mar 6

Heat pump market surges in 2024. I’m quoted calling for extension of heat pump grants and for government to remove some levies off electricity bills to really make the heat pump market fly.

UK homes install subsidised heat pumps at record level

Government-backed heat pump installations in the UK reached record levels for 2024.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Luke Tryl @luketryl.bsky.social · Mar 3

Over the weekend we asked the British public to describe in a word how they felt about the Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting. The answers somewhat speak for themselves.

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Feb 26

The startling finding from the CCC’s advice on the 7th Carbon Budget is the scale of savings households can make by 2050 - on average a £700 cut in energy bills and another £700 cut in driving fuel bills a year. This means anyone arguing against net zero is in effect calling for high energy bills

UK urged to act now on net zero – and skip two kebabs’ worth of meat a week

Climate Change Committee issues advice to government on meeting carbon emissions target by 2050

www.theguardian.com

Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Feb 25

Defence spending may well need to increase in face of Russian threats and American isolationism but there are better ways to pay for it - especially taxes on oil & gas companies, who have made obscene profits over last few years. Cutting aid spending is devastating.

Starmer announces big cut to UK aid budget to boost defence spending

PM confirms rise in military spending to at least 2.5% of GDP by 2027 – three years earlier than planned

www.theguardian.com

Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Feb 24

The net-zero economy grew 10% in 2024. Green=Growth. The line I love from this article is that Tory & Reform parties did not respond to request for comment 🤦‍♂️ - in their pursuit or culture wars, Badenoch & Farage are undermining economic growth and would condemn U.K. to dependence on high cost gas

Britain’s net zero economy is booming, CBI says

Green sector growing at triple the rate of the UK economy, providing high-wage jobs and increasing energy security

www.theguardian.com

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Ed Matthew @edmatthew.bsky.social · Feb 10

Drax subsidies extended but cut in half - my quote on Drax in Guardian: “its legacy is high emissions and forest destruction … its days are numbered”

‘It’s a temporary lifeline’: Drax decision is latest test of Labour’s green credentials

Mixed reaction from campaigners as ministers impose reduced subsidies and stringent conditions on Yorkshire wood-burning plant

www.theguardian.com

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