Environmental justice: protecting people and planet

Over the past decade, we’ve seen the NHS decimated by government. From funding cuts to insufficient staffing to private-sector contracts being given priority, this has all had a huge impact on health and mental health, including rising health inequalities. As is a running theme throughout this resource, the worst burden to bear falls on those from the most marginalised communities.

What’s more, there's significant and growing evidence that the climate and nature crisis significantly impacts mental as well as physical health.

Communities that experience discrimination and disadvantage – for example disabled people and those living in deprived areas – are already more likely to experience poor health outcomes. Environmental injustice will only worsen these health inequalities.

Here are just some of the ways in which the climate and nature crisis creates or worsens health challenges, as well as who’s most impacted:

• Increased levels of worry and overwhelm. A growing number of people, especially young people, are reporting symptoms of eco-anxiety and climate anxiety. A survey reported that 49% of UK participants aged 16 to 25 were either very worried or extremely worried about climate change. 1 in 3 young people in Britain are scared (33%), sad (34%) or pessimistic (34%) about climate change, with 28% feeling “overwhelmed”.
• Psychological trauma. Extreme weather events like floods and storms can cause psychological trauma and distress. This can be a result of experiencing bereavement, illness, homelessness and other impacts. Rising temperatures can lead to psychological issues like stress and insomnia. And cold homes significantly increase the risk of mental health issues in both adults and children.
• Physical health problems. Heatwaves are particularly dangerous for older people, babies and young children, people with pre-existing conditions and people who take medications like SSRIs or anti-psychotics. Children are some of the hardest hit by air pollution. Their lungs are still developing, they breathe faster than adults, and they're often closer to the ground and vehicle exhausts. When growing up with bad air, children’s lungs can end up not developing properly, leaving them with 5% reduced capacity. 
• Loss of life. Women are more likely to die in disasters caused by extreme weather. For example, more than 90% of those killed in the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone were women. Meanwhile, air pollution has been linked with up to 43,000 premature deaths each year in the UK.

Many of the answers to the climate and nature crisis will also benefit people’s physical and mental health. It’s therefore important to tackle these issues together, using win-win solutions that protect our health and our planet.

If you do one thing: sign our petition calling for a new adaptation plan that means the UK is able to deal with the impacts of climate change. This will help those particularly at risk from climate impacts, including disabled people and those with health issues.

Other examples include:

• Clean air zones. These help reduce air pollution, with big impacts for our health and health services. For example, Bradford’s clean air zone, the second largest in England, saved the NHS over £30,000 a month in its first year. It also saw respiratory illnesses decrease by 25% and heart problems by 24%.
• Insulation. The government must fund a street-by-street insulation programme, prioritising the households most in need. Not only will this cut climate emissions, but it’ll also prevent the physical and mental health issues caused by cold homes.
• Green space. Restoring nature through tree planting, rewilding and so on can also have big benefits for our mental health. Time in nature has been shown to help those with mental health issues like anxiety and depression, so it’s vital that everyone has enough access to green space.

• Find out how to tackle eco-anxiety.
• Read our report on the health impacts of cold homes.
• Read about climate adaptation.
• Learn more about air pollution.

The UK has some of the coldest and costliest homes to heat in Europe. In fact, over 7.2 million homes still need either cavity wall insulation, loft insulation or both. Our poorly insulated housing stock wastes energy, which not only increases climate emissions but also drives up heating bills. And we’re reliant on expensive, planet-wrecking fossil fuels to keep our homes warm. As a result, we’re in a cold homes crisis.

Cold, damp homes are associated with physical health issues like heart attacks, respiratory problems, and impaired lung and brain development in children. They’re also linked to mental health conditions and social isolation. And sky-high energy bills push people into fuel poverty.

Over a third of UK households are living in cold homes, but some people are much more likely to live in a cold home than others. In the 100 coldest neighbourhoods across England and Wales:

• 50% are people renting (compared with the national average of 36%)
• 30% are people of colour (compared with the national average of 14%)
• 27% are people under 18 (compared with the national average of 21%).

Many people have been forced into fuel poverty, spending over 10% of their incomes on their energy bills. Of the over 5 million households in fuel poverty across England and Wales in 2023:

• Half were home to a disabled person
• Around 40% were home to someone aged 65+
• Collectively they were home to over 2 million children. 

People living in cold homes are also disproportionately impacted by health issues:

• 1 in 5 people are out of work and living with an existing medical condition
• Adults are twice as likely to develop new mental health conditions (compared with adults in warm homes)
• 1 in 4 children are at risk of multiple mental health symptoms (compared with 1 in 25 children in warm homes).

There are 3 key solutions to the cold homes crisis:

1. Insulation. The government must fund a street-by-street insulation programme, prioritising the households most in need. The programme should be free of charge to all households in low-income neighbourhoods, and it should also include rented properties.
2. Financial support. Government should provide financial support to help all low-income households heat their homes. Social tariffs – which allow low-income households to be charged less for their energy usage – should be implemented and targeted fairly to support those on low incomes and people with medical needs.
3. Renewable energy. We need to move away from heating our homes with gas to heating them with clean electricity. That means moving to a homegrown renewable energy system including wind and solar. It also means replacing gas boilers, primarily with heat pumps, which should be fully funded for low-income households. 

• Learn more about the energy crisis and the solutions for warm homes.
• Find out more about who’s most impacted by fuel poverty.
• Read our report on the health impacts of cold homes.
• Use our map to find cold homes and energy crisis hotspots.

Across many different environmental and social issues, low income is consistently a predictor of worse circumstances and outcomes. People might struggle to afford basic necessities such as food and fuel, which can in turn cause stress and mental health issues. They might be excluded from various things, such as having access to green space or owning a car. And they might live in areas with worse environments, for example polluted urban cities or isolated rural areas.

This doesn’t just apply to individuals within a society, but also the wealth divide between different countries. Lower-income countries are frequently exploited by richer countries and multinational corporations for their resources. Their natural environments are destroyed and the rights of local communities are trampled on, but it’s the wealthy who enjoy the profits.

While wealthy individuals, companies and countries bear most of the responsibility for the climate and nature crisis, it’s the less well-off who suffer the most impacts. 

Here are some examples of this wealth disparity:

• Globally, the richest 1% were responsible for creating as many carbon emissions as the poorest two-thirds of humanity in 2019.
• The wealthiest countries, totalling 16% of the world’s population, are responsible for almost 40% of emissions. The poorest countries, totalling 60% of the global population, are responsible for less than 15% of emissions.
• 100 companies are responsible for over 70% of all greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.
• In 2023, 20% of UK households with the highest incomes flew 4 or more times, whereas over 70% of low-income households didn’t fly at all.

And the impacts of low incomes are wide-ranging:

• Fuel poverty. In 2023, over 5 million households in England and Wales were in fuel poverty, spending over 10% of their income on energy bills. The average annual income of people in fuel poverty was £21,000, compared with £43,000 for those not in fuel poverty. The average income of people in extreme fuel poverty was £14,000.
• Public transport. People on low incomes are less likely to own a car, meaning they’re more reliant on public transport. Poor public transport impacts their ability to work, access services and enjoy leisure time. For example, over the past 15 years, bus services have been cut by around 50% across England and Wales (except in London).
• Pollution. Half of neighbourhoods that have very high air pollution are in the bottom 30% of the most deprived neighbourhoods.
• Green space. There’s a correlation between low incomes and a lack of green space.
• Food poverty. In 2023, over 5 million low-income households had to cut down or skip meals because they didn’t have enough money. Meanwhile, around a third of all food is wasted.
• Resources. Communities  in low-income countries face deforestation, pollution, water and food scarcity, land grabbing, conflict and displacement – all from rich countries and companies exploiting their natural resources. In the UK, the most deprived neighbourhoods have less access to social spaces such as community hubs and parks – in some cases as little as half of what other areas have.
• Displacement. Most climate-related migration – when people are forced to leave their homes due to climate impacts such as floods and droughts – is from rural areas in low-income and middle-income countries.

Depending on the area, different solutions are needed to tackle wealth inequalities and the impacts of low incomes.

If you do one thing: add your name to our petition demanding government raises taxes on those with the very most – the super rich and big polluters – to pay for desperately needed climate action that benefits everyone.

A few other examples include:

• Social tariffs. These allow low-income households to be charged less for their energy usage.
• Corporate responsibility. Companies must be held responsible for harm they cause to people and planet. That’s why we’re campaigning for a new UK law that does just that. Sign our petition.
• Frequent flyer levies. These tax people’s additional flights – the more they fly each year, the higher the levy. Increasing the cost of frequent flying should lead to fewer flights.

• Find out who’s most impacted by fuel poverty.
• See how bus services have been cut in England and Wales.
• Learn about the impact of big business putting profits over the planet.
• Read about austerity and the climate crisis, written by a member of our Youth Network.

Green spaces make us happier and healthier. They help reduce heart disease, obesity and depression, and they save the NHS more than £100 million each year in GP visits and prescriptions. They’re also valuable in other ways, such as reducing flooding, cutting carbon emissions and protecting nature.

Despite all these benefits, almost 10 million people in England live in areas with very limited access to green space.

Some of the most marginalised people in our society have less access to green space. And it’s a problem that’s widespread. 1,108 neighbourhoods in the UK, home to 9.6 million people, are deprived of green space. That's roughly 1 in 5 of us.

Here are some communities who are most impacted:

• People of colour are twice as likely to live in a neighbourhood with minimal access to green space. Almost 40% live in areas most deprived of green space, compared with just 14% of white people.
• Children from the most deprived areas are 20% less likely to spend time outside than those in affluent areas.

What’s more, in the neighbourhoods most deprived of green space, the average amount of public green space available to each person is less than 9 m² – the average size of a garden shed. The numbers in many urban areas are particularly worrying: 

• London: London boroughs make up the 10 worst local authorities for access to green space. The Borough of Islington comes in last with an average of 2 m² of green space per person.
• Areas outside London: Slough, Wolverhampton and Southend-on-Sea have less than 12 m² of green space per person on average. 

We need stronger policies and significant investment in quality green infrastructure.

If you do one thing: sign our petition calling for a healthy environment.

Other solutions include:

• Reducing spending on new roads. Spaces where nature should be thriving are under threat from construction, and government plans to spend £25 billion on new roads will only serve to make matters worse.
• Introducing a requirement to create new green space where provision is lacking. New street parks should be created by permanently closing some streets, as recommended by the National Trust and others.
• Planting more Postcode Gardeners to create greener streets. Postcode Gardeners are employed to bring local residents together to green up the streets in their area.

• What green spaces are we missing out on?
• Read out report on England's green space gap.
• Find out where could we create woodland in England.
• Get your family involved with a Planet Protectors Pack.

Regular, reliable and affordable public transport such as trains and buses and comprehensive active travel routes such as cycle lanes and footpaths help with a wide range of issues. These include improved access to work and services, better health, less traffic, fewer emissions and reduced air pollution. Good public transport and active travel also make us better connected.

But in the UK, public transport is on its knees. Since 2008, urban bus service levels have fallen by 48% (excluding London), and rural bus services have decreased by 52%. Meanwhile train prices are increasing, despite a record low in the reliability of services, and we don’t have nearly enough safe cycling routes.

Marginalised and rural communities are most impacted by poor public transport infrastructure. These communities include:

• Disabled people. After a successful campaign prevented them from closing nearly 1,000 ticket offices, rail companies are now cutting ticket office hours. This makes it harder for disabled people to access support such as ramps, get help during disruption and access information such as platform changes.
• Digital exclusion. What’s more, closure of ticket offices impacts people who struggle with digital exclusion. Disabled people experience some of the highest levels of digital exclusion, making purchasing tickets significantly more difficult. And 28% of disabled adults don’t have access to a car, compared with 15% of non-disabled adults.
• People who are less mobile. Many train stations still don’t have adequate provisions, for example reliable lifts, to service disabled people, visually impaired people and those with mobility issues.
• People on low incomes. Much of our public transport is owned by private companies who set high ticket fares, impacting people on low incomes who struggle to afford the cost of travel. They’re also less likely to own a car, making their options more limited.
• Rural communities. At the mercy of unreliable and infrequent services, many rural communities have to rely on other transport methods.
• Women and young people. Safety is also a concern, especially impacting women and young people. 63% of women reported that they avoid traveling alone when it’s dark due to feeling unsafe. In a 2024 report, the British Transport Police recorded a 10% rise in sexual offenses against women on railways compared with the previous year.
• People of colour and people from the LGBTQIA+ community. People from these groups are more likely to experience and report instances of verbal abuse on public transport. In addition, 33% of black people have no access to a car or van, compared with 16% of white people.

The government needs to make significant investments in public transport and active travel. 

If you do one thing: sign our petition to help demand a Big Climate Plan.

As part of this plan, we’re calling for:

• Increased public transport. The UK government must commit to more than double bus passenger kilometres and increase rail passenger kilometres by 80% by 2030.
• More active travel funding. We need to see spending on active travel increase to £2 billion a year to make it safe and easy for people to cycle and walk for short journeys.

There are many other solutions, including:

• Bus franchising. All transport authorities should be provided with the resources and powers to franchise bus services, meaning a well-regulated service becomes the norm.
• Electric bikes and vehicles. Alongside segregated cycleways, government should incentivise the use of e-bikes, for example by offering grants to help people buy them as happens in Europe. It must also make electric vehicles more affordable for people on low incomes.

• See how bus services have changed in your area.
• Find out more about the Big Climate Plan.
• Learn how workplace parking levies can fund investment in public transport.

There are various types of pollution:

• Air pollution. Dirty air is caused by pollutants like toxic gases and tiny particles, for example from traffic. It’s a hidden killer, linked with up to 43,000 premature deaths each year in the UK. It’s also associated with a range of health issues such as lung infections and strokes.
• Water pollution. Sources of dirty water include agricultural waste (such as manure and pesticides), sewage and microplastics. Almost all the UK's waterways are polluted. It’s dangerous for our health, our wildlife and our ecosystems.
• Noise and light pollution. Loud noise and bright, artificial lights are also considered pollutants. They can be so disruptive that animals can’t find food, breed or communicate with each other. And they can harm people too, such as increasing the risk of heart problems and diabetes.
• Soil pollution and contaminated land. Many things can pollute soils and contaminate land, for example industrial processes and farming, chemical spills and old landfill sites. This can create serious hazards to health and harm the local environment.

Those who’ve done the least to cause pollution are often the ones most impacted by it. For example, households in neighbourhoods with very high air pollution are over 3 times less likely to own a car than those in the least polluted areas. Children are also particularly at risk as their lungs are still developing. Across England and Wales, around 1 million under-18s live in areas where key air pollutants are double World Health Organization guidelines.

Most pollution is caused by businesses, whether that’s the water companies pumping out sewage over 1,000 times a day, the big food companies driving the increase in factory farms or the airports causing air and noise pollution. Yet it’s ordinary people and the natural world that suffer the consequences.

As pollution is so widespread, it needs to be tackled from many different angles.

If you do one thing: sign our petition demanding that the government doesn’t approve airport expansion during a climate emergency.

Other key solutions include:

• Reducing traffic. Car traffic must be cut by at least 20% by 2030. This means the government needs to invest in public transport and active travel like walking and cycling. It also needs to stop its massive road building plans.
• Holding companies to account. Companies must be held responsible for harm they cause to people and planet, including pollution. That’s why we’re campaigning for a new UK law that does just that. Sign our petition.
• Registering contaminated land. Governments should set up publicly accessible registers of all potentially contaminated sites, and local authorities must speed up action to test and fix them.
   

• Find out more about air pollution.
• Learn how to spot water pollution.
• See if you live in a pollution hotspot.
• See how much factory farm waste is produced in your area.
• Read about contaminated land in Wales.

When it comes to decision making around policies that will impact our lives, we need access to transparent information about these choices, and we need to ensure that our voices are represented and heard. Too often, decisions are made on our behalf without consultation. This is even more damning when decision makers don’t have lived experience of or access to information from the very communities these policies will most impact.

Those living in poverty and experiencing inequality often have less time, headspace and resources to engage in elections and other democratic processes. What’s more, many people feel their voice isn’t important or doesn’t count, which discourages participation further.

Here in the UK, our rights and freedoms are also under threat due to anti-protest legislation. The previous government passed the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (PCSCA) in 2022 and the even more authoritarian Public Order Act in 2023. These laws gave the police extensive new powers to stop and search protesters. Specific individuals could even be banned from protesting. Our ability to voice our concerns and participate in democracy are seriously at risk.

Certain communities are worse off simply because of who they are and where they live. And their voices are often ignored by those in power. This worsens the impacts they’re already experiencing due to climate breakdown and causes otherwise preventable tragedies.

• Climate adaptation. Despite repeated calls from impacted communities, the UK lacks an adequate plan to adapt to the impacts of climate change. For example, Kevin Jordan’s seaside home was demolished in December 2023 due to coastal erosion, and he received no compensation. Meanwhile, care home resident and disability rights activist Doug Paulley regularly struggles with heatwaves due to long-term health conditions. Together with Friends of the Earth, they took government to court over its weak plans, but the judge ruled against us.
• Extreme weather disasters. Evacuation and relief efforts often don’t account for the most marginalised in society. For example, during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the evacuation services didn’t have buses with wheelchair lifts, and they didn’t employ people who could relay information to people with hearing and sight impairments. This meant a disproportionate number of disabled people died. More recently, during the 2025 wildfires in California, most of the 29 people who died were older adults and disabled people who couldn’t evacuate or for whom help didn’t come. 

We’re also seeing the impacts of the crack-down on our rights and freedoms:

• Excessive prison sentences. In July 2024, 5 peaceful climate activists received record prison sentences of up to 5 years, simply for joining a Zoom call about an M25 protest. These are similar in length to, and in some instances longer than, the sentences received by those involved in the violent, racist riots of 2024. Their sentences have since been reduced, but the UK is still locking people up for sounding the alarm about the climate crisis.
• Arrests for peaceful protest. Just days after the Public Order Act became law, it was used to arrest and detain 6 members of anti-monarchy group Republic for 16 hours during King Charles’s coronation. But there was no evidence of any intention to cause disruption, and the protesters were eventually released without charge.
• Discrimination. Part 4 of the PCSCA is a direct assault on the traditional way of life of Gypsy and Traveller communities, creating a new offence of criminal trespass with "intent to reside". Police can ban Gypsies and Travellers from an area for up to 12 months, arrest, fine and imprison them, and seize their homes in roadside camps.

We need to ensure diverse voices and opinions are consulted and included in all decision-making processes.

If you do one thing: know your rights. Anyone taking part in peaceful protests needs to be aware of their rights and responsibilities, as well as the protest laws and police powers in play.

Other solutions include:

• Fairness. Fairness in climate policy is about making sure it works for everyone. In practice, this means overturning existing inequalities and addressing the impacts of climate change and climate policy on 3 specific communities: future generations, people in low-income countries and people in poverty in the UK. This means engaging the public at every turn is critical. We’re calling for fair climate policies through our Big Climate Plan campaign. Add your name.
• Public participation. Our leaders should use approaches such as citizen assemblies and citizen juries to ensure everyone can participate in decision making. They should also prioritise the voices of those most impacted, for example through focus groups, panels and dedicated roles.
• Climate adaptation. The government needs to produce a robust new adaptation plan that helps safeguard people, especially those most at risk including disabled people and those with health issues. Sign our petition.

We also need to ensure our rights and freedoms are respected and protected. We’re fighting against authoritarian sentences and legislation in the courts, here and overseas. Find out more about how we're fighting to protect our right to protest.

• Read more about how rights and freedoms are threatened in the UK.
• Find out more about how UK law threatens Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.
• Read more about the national adaptation plan and the court case.
• Learn more about how disability and climate issues are linked.
• Find out why we need a diverse range of voices to solve global problems and achieve social justice.
• Read our report on fairness in climate policy.