Work and Impact
​“Cross-party collaboration between legislators offers exciting potential to unlock political will and make the link between domestic and global climate goals: every parliament needs a Peers for the Planet”.
Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC
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​How we work
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Peers for the Planet is an initiative run by Peers, for Peers, and is the only intervention dedicated to building and sustaining cross-party momentum in the Lords. The group is not a policy-making or campaigning body, rather we act as a convener and through our networked model support the wider work of experts and stakeholders from scientific, academic, industry and civic communities, working in this field both nationally and internationally.
The secretariat of the group provides communications support and co-ordination for Members of the Lords on climate and nature issues which, before the groups establishment, did not exist. It offers specialist technical support on legislation and amendments; highlights opportunities on the floor of the House to raise climate and nature issues, and produces high quality written and in-person briefings and updates on key policy developments, science and analysis.
Our impact
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​Since launching in 2020, Peers for the Planet has grown to around 160 supporters and has spearheaded a step-change in debate on climate change and nature in the House. Through constructive engagement with Ministers, MPs and stakeholders, Peers have won world-leading policy and legislative changes in a wide range of policy areas, while helping to progress the debate in many more.
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​Working independently and in partnership, these changes include world-firsts that will help direct £billions in financial flows, support development of low carbon markets and embed consideration for climate and nature in key sector frameworks and institutional architecture, as well supporting a fair energy transition and real-world benefits like better health:
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1st statutory provisions in the world to align the actions of pensions schemes worth £1.64 trillion in assets with the Paris Agreement.
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1st statutory requirement globally for financial market regulators to take both climate and nature into account across all their functions.
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1st requirements to embed climate mitigation, adaptation, and wider environmental goals in our national health framework (c. 5% of UK emissions), in our skills framework, and publicly-funded R&D (via the new £800m Advanced Research and Innovation Agency).
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Political support on practical financial levers, including voluntary carbon offsets, fiduciary duty, taxonomy, AGM voting, disclosure and capital risk, plus government commitment to review whether regulation on financing prohibited forest risk commodities is adequate.
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Provisions to give regulator energy Ofgem a net zero duty - helping unlock investment in a low carbon energy system (that’s estimated will deliver £10bn savings to consumers by 2050).
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Inclusion of nature-based solutions and energy efficiency in the scope of projects the UK Infrastructure Bank (tasked with unlocking £40bn of infrastructure finance) will invest in.
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Cross-party buy-in on built environment policies, including energy efficiency and retrofit; planning; low carbon design/development and healthy, green places of the future – with many of Peers’ policy asks now committed to by the new Government.
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Learning exchanges with international legislators in the global north and south that have inspired cross-party action and supported climate legislation in other countries.
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The group has been active on issues as diverse as energy supply, heat and buildings, transport, health, planning, procurement, trade, defence and security, state aid, clean air and national curriculum, as well as landmark environmental bills, such as the Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries ‘Brexit’ Acts and the Retained EU Law Bill, and new concepts like ecocide.
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But the work of the group is not limited to any one outcome: By demonstrating the benefits of action on climate and nature the group is helping to shift political mind-sets and create precedents that enable legislators to push into new and ambitious policy frontiers.
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Peers in the group have also helped build parliamentary capacity and has inspired similar cross-party caucuses internationally through knowledge exchanges with legislators in the global north and south.
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You can read more about our work and impact on our Latest page