Climate action champion’s reasons to be cheerful

Speaking during Barnet Climate Action Month, campaigner Nick Mabey gave a sunny assessment of political progress towards a low-carbon future, despite the United States having moved away from its previous leading role.

Invited to QE by sixth-formers Vu-Lam Le-Nguyen and Keshav Aggarwal, the co-founder of climate change thinktank E3G argued that nativism and isolationism have too often hindered effective global climate action.

Yet, taking a long view, overall he found many reasons to be sanguine.

Year 12’s Vu-Lam said: “Mr Mabey delivered a fascinating talk. Perhaps most strikingly, he was optimistic about the progress made in climate diplomacy despite the scale of the challenge.”

Keshav, who is also in Year 12, added: “In looking at the challenges and opportunities involved in international climate policy, he reflected positively on international cooperation going right back to the Villach climate conference in 1985. ‘A huge amount is happening; it’s just an enormous issue,’ he observed.”

Mr Mabey mentioned especially the significant progress made since the 2015 Paris Agreement, pointing out that the largest increase in climate investment has come from China and East Asia, where investment has grown sixfold. Africa is beginning to adopt solar energy on a much larger scale, giving the continent enormous potential.

Mr Mabey was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Jubilee Honours list in 2022 for services to climate change and support to the UK COP26 Presidency. (Conference of the Parties, or COP, is the supreme decision-making body of the UN Framework on Climate Change, or UNFCCC). He is also a founder of London Climate Action Week, which finished on Sunday and mobilised 75,000 people to attend city-wide events ahead of the COP 31 UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.

He spoke about the work of E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism) as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Its purpose, he said, is “to build the machinery to make [climate action] happen,” adding that this was something that foreign ministries normally failed to do. One of its most significant achievements was helping to secure the first-ever climate security debate at the UN Security Council.

He also explained the ‘Iron Triangle’ that comes into play in COP negotiations: the EU and UK, developing nations, and the countries most vulnerable to climate change often operate as three separate blocs.

Successful climate action depends on making change acceptable to society, he added. “Fundamentally, we need to find a leverage point to make people comfortable.”

He was hosted by Vu-Lam and Keshav as part of their Ideas Unmuffled talk series.

During a question-and-answer session:

• Vu-Lam, who is one of QE’s 2026 Senior Vice-Captains, asked why the Montreal Protocol and Kigali Amendment (which concern reducing the consumption and production of hydrofluorocarbons) had been successful, while broader climate agreements have often struggled. Because, said Mr Mabey, the broader agreements often lack one or more of the conditions necessary for them to be effective: a clear and achievable goal, the necessary technology, and the willingness of major economic powers to act.
• Keshav asked whether the UK’s pursuit of net zero had made the country “colder and poorer,” as claimed by former Brexit Minister Steve Baker, among others. Mr Mabey argued that climate policies have instead helped improve the UK’s historically poor record on home insulation, making homes warmer and more energy-efficient. He further stated that dependence on fossil fuels leaves countries more vulnerable to energy price shocks, such as those caused by the war in Ukraine.
• Head of English Robert Hyland posed a question about careers in the green economy, to which Mr Mabey stressed that opportunities extend beyond STEM subjects. While confirming that careers in areas such as green agriculture and clean technology will continue to grow, he highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary roles that combine science, technology and the social sciences. In particular, he argued that the world needs more “people who do people” – individuals who can work in government, diplomacy and policy to bring about meaningful change.

Mr Mabey concluded his visit with a resounding final message: “Diplomacy is not something diplomats do. Diplomacy is something everybody does. Everybody can contribute to building something together.”