Make Them Pay

In 2024 the wealth of UK billionaires grew by £35 million a day while people are struggling more and more to make ends meet, public services like the NHS and schools are crumbling and climate disasters are on the rise. This is not a coincidence. The fossil fuel industry, big business and the super-rich are responsible for rising global wealth inequality and emissions which are ravaging the natural world upon which human and animal life depends. They have knowingly driven us to this point, profiting from the crises that now affect us all. It’s time that they pay their fair share for the damage they’ve caused. If we work together, we can build a fairer society, as well as a liveable future for generations to come.

Make Them Pay aims to be an intentionally flexible and broad umbrella, an informal coalition designed to coordinate and encourage work already happening across the climate movement in the run up to COP30, and link it to broader calls, from across wider social justice movements, for economic justice, including a stable economy, good jobs, a functioning NHS and an end to wealth inequality.

Why Now?

COP30 is set to be a major international moment, with many movements converging in Brazil and putting climate change in the spotlight; we want to capitalise on this energy. With the far-right on the rise around the world and amplifying an anti-net zero agenda, and a UK Labour party sacrificing necessary climate action to their growth-at-all-costs agenda, there is an urgent need for a new approach to climate campaigning. Meanwhile, frustration with elites and the oligarchy is at an all-time high.

The ground is fertile for a re-energised, broader and more powerful climate movement, that centres a combined call for climate action and economic transformation which will improve the lives of the vast majority in concrete ways. If we can come together behind a loose but unified vision for a just transition, we have an opportunity to build a truly powerful movement, with real hope for fundamental and lasting change.

What are the plans for this year?

Seeding the slogan “Make Them Pay” is a key part of the work, reframing the issue and unifying across our movements as we do so. A wave of activity throughout this second half of the year will be the focal point for this, allowing groups to work together under this framing, building momentum ahead of the autumn budget, COP30, and beyond.

Saturday 20 September

Organisations representing millions of workers, citizens and communities across Britain will be marching in London under the Make Them Pay banner. This aligns with major international climate mobilisations taking place that week and allows us to build momentum and demonstrate the broad appeal of our demands ahead of the autumn budget and COP30. This will be an ambitious and exciting event: colourful, creative, peaceful and family-friendly, with inspiring high-profile speakers.

Throughout October and November

Many organisations are planning creative actions and mobilisations to raise public awareness and pressure on the government ahead of the autumn budget and COP30. They may have different demands and tactics, but they have strong overlaps in their aims. If we can explicitly link these together through the shared slogan of Make Them Pay, we can forge stronger links across the climate, social justice and labour movements, presenting a united front calling for effective and transformative change, and place climate action at the top of the agenda once more.

New movements aren’t born overnight. We expect these stepping stones (and any others that emerge throughout the year) to build momentum, capacity and engagement across this year and into the next, not just re-energising the climate movement, but ultimately contributing to the formation of a powerful and unified movement demanding deep and lasting change to the global economic system.

Get Involved!

Since this is an intentionally loose coalition, signing up doesn’t lock you in to everything. Organisations can get involved in the way that works for them. That said, there are some next steps that organisations can take that would really help us get this thing off the ground and moving forwards.

Mobilise your support for September – we can help with messaging for supporter emails and social media, as well as flyers for you to circulate to your networks
Join the working groups: comms, action-planning, mobilisation and funding
Use the comms pack to share Make Them Pay, and start using the label on your own activities and comms