We’ve got a long way to go, but here are a few ways that the UK has been making great progress in the move towards a greener future.
The UK was the first country in the world to make a legally binding commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2008, the Climate Change Act pledged to cut emissions by 80% by 2050. This target was updated in 2019 with a net zero target – 100% reduction. At this time, the UK had reached around 45% reduction. Figures show we’re already roughly halfway to net zero – most of this is because we were able to phase out coal very quickly. In 2012, coal supplied 40% of UK electricity, and only 12 years later the country’s last coal plant closed and the UK stopped burning coal.
Renewable energy has powered over half the UK’s electricity for two years running
In 2025, 52.5% of electricity in the UK was generated by renewables. Wind generated just over half of this renewable energy. When it’s completed this year, Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be the largest offshore wind farm in the world and will generate enough electricity to power six million homes in the UK.
London achieved legal NO2 air quality limit 184 years earlier than expected
In 2024, London met the UK’s legal annual limit for nitrogen dioxide, which was projected to take until 2203 without further action. Thanks to policies such as modernising buses, phasing out diesel, expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone, and tightening vehicle emissions standards, the legal limit was achieved in only nine years.
We’re home to world-leading conservation organisations
The UK is home to some of the world’s oldest and largest conservation charities and projects, such as the RSPB, Woodland Trust, and National Trust. The UK’s bird monitoring and species-recording systems are decades-long and provide rich insight into our changing biodiversity. Make no mistake, habitats and wildlife across the UK are struggling – however, we’ve also seen some incredible success stories in re-introducing wildlife, including the return of the white-tailed eagle, the red-kite, and beavers.
Where we’re falling short
Even though we’ve hit some positive milestones, we’re far from where we need to be. The clean energy market is currently growing too slowly to meet climate targets, and whilst we’ve made good progress with making electricity greener, much more needs to be done to encourage the switch to electric cars, improve home insulation and retrofit to introduce heat pumps. A green transition should also be a fair one – this means making sure that these initiatives are accessible and affordable for everyone, not just higher earners. We must also do much more the protect our wildlife and natural infrastructure, as it’s currently estimated that most of the UK’s nature targets won’t be met.
Funding the climate crisis
Sadly, private financing of fossil fuels and other damaging industries from the UK’s finance industry continues to have a negative impact on the climate and habitats across the world. The five biggest banks in the UK spent $556 billion on fossil fuels between 2016-2023, and this year the UK halved its funding for the Green Climate Fund.
To make climate solutions that work for people and the planet, they first need money behind them. Moving your money to a bank like Triodos means that you can be sure your money is only being used to fund things that will create positive change, including helping us on our green transition journey.
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