there’s no growth on a dead planet – but there is a movement ready to fight back

Over the past two months, Green New Deal Rising has turned up the heat – and not the climate kind. We’ve been loud, persistent, and impossible to ignore. Our there’s no growth on a dead planet campaign brought a wave of energy, action, and resistance to this government’s relentless climate u-turns. 

We watched as Rachel Reeves backed climate-wrecking decisions like the expansion of Heathrow and Gatwick airports, flirted with approving new oil fields and, in her misguided dash for ‘growth’, attempted to pit growing the economy against climate and nature in a bid to revive her Government’s nose-diving popularity. And we decided to organise a fight-back.

Together, we sent over 1000 emails to 417 MPs, demanding they stand against this government’s backpedaling on climate. Eleven local youth-led groups sprang into action, meeting face-to-face with MPs across the country – from Sheffield to Bristol, Manchester to Portsmouth – delivering a clear and urgent message: we will not allow our future to be sold out for a version of growth that only benefits the super-rich.

We took this message everywhere. Into Parliament. Onto the airwaves. Right up to Downing Street and into the Treasury. We confronted cabinet members like Wes Streeting and Darren Jones directly. We even redecorated the tube to make sure the message couldn’t be missed. And on the day of a major Climate Change Committee report, we dropped a banner in Parliament to spotlight the government’s climate betrayal. You can watch the round up video here.

Fatima, our co-director, has also been busy getting our message out in the press and onto mainstream media. She hit things off with a bang when she appeared on Politics Live challenging Labour on Trump and the importance of the Paris Agreement. And Fatima went onto Sky News to back the findings by the Climate Change Committee: we can’t afford to lose time, we have to take action now.  

To round off our campaign, 20 young people stood outside the Treasury and delivered 40 boxes, each one representing our five bold, people-first alternatives to current government policies. Instead of airport expansion and waiting on private investment to improve our lives, we suggested Rachel Reeves introduce a wealth tax, invest in free public transport, deliver rent controls, implement a national nature service and give every worker a green jobs guarantee. This wasn’t just about making noise – it was about offering real, transformative solutions.

And here’s the thing: we were braced for more cuts to climate funding in the Spring Statement. But they didn’t come. We know this isn’t a full win – but it’s a sign. A sign that pressure works. That a movement like ours can push the needle.

But the fight is far from over.

We’re up against a government clinging to power with cuts that hit the most vulnerable, and a version of economic “growth” that’s all about propping up billionaires while the planet burns. The tide is turning. Polls show Starmer and Reeves slipping in popularity. The cracks are starting to show – and we’re going to keep pushing until they break.

What’s next? We’re gearing up for the next phase of this fight. A brand new campaign. A bigger, bolder, more disruptive one. One that pushes for the real change we need – and deserve.

So stay tuned. Keep checking your inbox. Follow us on socials. And if you’re ready to do even more, find an event near you. Join your local team. Become part of something powerful.