Your say / Kirsty Tait
‘We can’t afford to leave anyone behind in the race to net zero’
As someone who was born and raised in Hartcliffe, I never really pictured myself walking into the Houses of Parliament to participate in a workshop on city decarbonisation. The rooms, with all their grandeur and symbolism, fill you with a sense of awe. I’ll be honest, it brings a touch of imposter syndrome too.
I sat in the grand, oak-furnished room wearing many hats: as a Labour councillor for Hartcliffe and Withywood, co-author of the Bristol Just Transition Declaration, director of the Bristol Energy Network, climate action programme manager at Heart of BS13, and a member of Bristol City Council’s Environment and Sustainability Policy Committee.
These roles anchor me in the realities of local climate leadership—what’s working, what’s missing and where we should go next. It’s why people like me need to have seats at the tables in the rooms often dominated by the so-called ‘men in grey suits.’
A just transition to net zero cannot be a top-down process. we need community buy-in, we need working people involved in decision-making, and we need to convey the benefits that decarbonisation will have to working class communities.
Tait recently attended a workshop on city decarbonisation at the House of Parliament
This is partly why I helped write the Just Transition Declaration – a commitment to ten principles that ensure people would not bear the brunt of the costs yet would have a share in its benefits. This declaration is now embedded into council policy.
Of course, the road to net zero isn’t just paved with good intentions—it requires serious funding. All too often, events on net zero are something of a well-meaning talking shop. The reality is, we won’t get anywhere without robust investment and finance models.
And whilst decarbonisation needs funding, it will bring immeasurable benefits to our planet, our city and our communities. It is a mistake to see it solely as a cost; it is a huge opportunity to create the jobs of the future, especially in communities like mine.
This is what a certain private schooled, commodities trader turned career politician, Nigel Farage, fails to understand – or at least pretends he doesn’t understand to get his face on tele more. People from working class communities would know how sorely well-paid, local jobs are needed. Relying solely on the private sector to deliver these jobs hasn’t worked, we need the public and private sectors working in tandem.
An exemplar of a public-private partnership investing in decarbonisation is Bristol City Leap. It is projected to remove over 140,000 tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere, and it will create over 1,000 green jobs, all paying at least the real living wage.
Tait was elected as a councillor for Hartcliffe and Withywood in May 2024
One of the main challenges facing Hartcliffe and Withywood is the lack of opportunities available to our young people. Training people up to work in the jobs of the future can change that. Continuing the status quo isn’t sustainable – for jobs or for the climate.
Reform want to ‘scrap net zero’, and the blue-collar green jobs that come with it. If you are making a living by installing heat pumps, fitting insultation, or working on wind turbines, tough luck: Farage would prefer you were on the dole.
Scrapping climate investment is not an option. Neither is climate action without involving working class communities, leaving them blind to the benefits.
This event in Parliament was a reminder that climate ambition needs to be matched with process, coordination and delivery. Each stage must involve those with real on-the-ground insight—especially the communities who have the most to gain from a just transition.
I was there to ensure those voices are amplified. Because this isn’t just about reaching net zero. It’s about how we get there – fast but fair. The Just Transition Declaration matters now more than ever.
As we head toward London Climate Week and build momentum toward COP30, I’m looking forward to continuing these conversations and pushing for deeper, more inclusive action.
We can’t afford to leave anyone behind in the race to net zero. Let’s build strength through togetherness, equity and shared leadership.
This is an opinion piece by Kirsty Tait, a Labour councillor for Hartcliffe and Withywood
All photos: Labour / Kirsty Tait
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
