Faith leaders urge government to make polluters pay ahead of COP30

The Blue Marble - taken during Apollo 17 lunar mission 1972

Source: Quakers in Britain

UK faith and civil society leaders have written to the government urging it to raise new public funds by taxing fossil fuel companies and extreme wealth in the run-up to global climate finance talks

In a letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the group says taxing big polluters could lower UK energy costs and support the shift to clean energy.

It also calls for help for those affected by climate disasters.

The letter signed by over 20 Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist leaders comes ahead of finance talks in the run-up to COP30.

It suggests options including a Climate Damages Tax, the removal of subsidies for North Sea oil and gas, and a two per cent tax on personal assets over £10 million.

Signatories include Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury; Shanon Shah, director of Faith for the Climate; Colette Joyce, Justice & Peace Coordinator, Diocese of Westminster; Trustee, Faith for the Climate, Canon Giles Goddard, Chair, Faith for the Climate, Paul Parker, recording clerk for Quakers in Britain; and Jonathan Gainsborough, Bishop of Kingston.

They are joined by secular groups focused on tax and climate justice.

Together, these organisations represent diverse faith traditions and campaign groups united in a call for fairer climate funding.

The letter highlights that UK households are already facing around £3,000 in climate-related costs this year and argues that the current system places too much burden on the public.

The signatories call for those with the highest emissions and greatest wealth to contribute more, in line with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities recognised in the Paris Agreement.

"In many faith systems, paying taxes is part of the functioning of a just society," signatories write.

"Support for climate action and taxation as a means of contributing to the common good and caring for the natural world is not just limited to people of faith," they add.

Polling shows strong public backing: recent surveys found that 82 per cent of UK adults believe oil and gas companies should take financial responsibility for the damage caused by their activities.

The letter urges the UK to rejoin global efforts to deliver fair climate finance by joining the international Coalition for Solidarity Levies ahead of COP30.

Read the full letter:
www.quaker.org.uk/documents/faith-leaders-call-for-taxation-to-make-polluters-pay-20250627