Banners on a Government department during The Big One climate protest called by Extinction Rebellion in 2023. Credit: FPA
By Chia Harrington
In recent years, the term climate crisis has gone from a scientific concern to a defining issue of our time. From record-breaking heatwaves to devastating wildfires and rising sea levels, the effects of a changing climate are no longer predictions for the future—they’re happening now.
But what exactly is the climate crisis? And why should we all care?
The climate crisis
At its core, the climate crisis refers to the rapidly worsening effects of global climate change—mainly caused by human activity. Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve been burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas at an unprecedented rate. This releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, trapping heat and disrupting Earth’s natural balance.
The result – rising global temperatures, melting ice caps, stronger storms, longer droughts, and more unpredictable weather patterns. These changes affect everything from ecosystems and agriculture to human health and global economies.
There is also a runaway effect where reaching particular tipping points of global warming will lead to irreversible damage, which is why we cannot carry on with processes that contribute to further harm.
Why it’s important
The climate crisis touches every part of life—from the air we breathe to the food we eat. It affects jobs, health, and the future of every generation after us. For example, if crops fail due to extreme weather, we could experience food shortages and people involved in food production industries could lose their livelihoods.
It is also an issue where those who contribute the least to causing the climate crisis in the global south are the ones most likely to experience the worst effects of climate disaster, which is totally unjust. To prevent environmental damage from becoming worse for those contributing the least to the harm, we need to cut polluting emissions as much as we can.
What are we doing about it, and what does this have to do with Fuel Poverty?
At Fuel Poverty Action, we believe that green solutions can also help bring people out of fuel poverty. We campaign for Energy For All, where everyone can have access to free essential energy, and this is paid for by taxing the fossil fuel industry and placing higher tariffs on luxury energy use. In this way, we are taking power away from pollutors to give everyone free energy because it should be considered a basic right.
We know that the burning of fossil fuels doesn’t just harm the planet; it also keeps energy bills expensive and makes us far too reliant on volatile global markets that can lead to huge price hikes, as we saw in 2021. We could instead have cheap renewable energy that would significantly reduce our energy bills and prevent climate disasters.
Another green solution that will bring people out of fuel poverty is retrofitting houses.
Retrofitting means upgrading or modifying an existing structure, system, or equipment to improve its performance, safety, or efficiency; this means insulating homes while also maintaining sound ventilation systems in place. By retrofitting homes, we will stop people from living in damp or mouldy conditions and make them energy efficient so any heating will remain in the home rather than escaping and contributing to global warming further.
