What Is Friends of the Earth UK Campaigning For on Fossil Fuels and Climate?

Friends of the Earth UK is campaigning to end UK reliance on oil, gas and coal, block new fossil fuel extraction such as the Jackdaw North Sea gas field, oppose airport expansion including Heathrow, and push for a "fossil free future." The organisation frames these as connected fights — extraction, aviation and energy costs — and invites the public to act through petitions, local action groups and donations. This applies to anyone who wants to understand the group's current climate positions before deciding whether to support, join or simply follow its work.

The core position: no more oil, gas or coal

The homepage slogan is explicit: "No more oil, gas or coal." Friends of the Earth describes itself as "the UK's biggest grassroots network dedicated to protecting people and planet," and its climate messaging centres on moving away from what it calls "expensive, polluting fossil fuels."

A concrete example on the site is the Jackdaw North Sea gas field. The group states that "the government has given the controversial Jackdaw North Sea gas field the green light" and uses that decision as a hook to argue for a faster transition to a "fossil free future." In other words, the campaign is not only about long-term targets but about opposing specific approvals as they happen.

Opposing airport expansion

Aviation is treated as a separate but linked front. The site carries a petition demand: "no more airport expansion while we're in a climate emergency," framed as "Don't put plane profits before planet."

The group also publishes supporting arguments, including "15 reasons why Heathrow airport expansion is wrong," which it says draws on "the government's own figures." That detail matters if you want to check the reasoning: the case is presented as evidence-based rather than purely values-based, so you can read the stated figures and judge them yourself.

Beyond fossil fuels: the wider campaign set

The climate and fossil fuel work sits alongside other campaigns listed on the site:

These show how the organisation links environmental issues to social justice and consumer costs — a framing worth knowing if you are deciding whether its approach matches your own priorities.

How the campaigning actually works

The site describes three methods:

• Local organising — more than 200 local action groups across England, Wales and Northern Ireland "working to protect people and planet."
• Legal action — "taking government to court over projects that harm our environment."
• Public pressure — petitions, supporter sign-ups and donations to fund campaigns.

If you want to get involved rather than just read, the practical entry points are joining a group near you, signing a current petition, or signing up for campaign news. Note that the site asks for a donation as part of its sign-up messaging; the pages reviewed do not state that any of these actions are free of cost or login requirements, so check each form as you use it.

What this means if you are deciding whether to engage

Support the group's direction if you agree that new North Sea gas approvals like Jackdaw should be opposed, that airport expansion should halt during a climate emergency, and that environmental work should include social justice. Look elsewhere, or engage critically, if you prioritise energy security arguments for domestic gas or view aviation growth differently — the group's material is advocacy, not a neutral briefing, and its Heathrow case is built on selected government figures.

A quick way to test fit: read the Jackdaw and Heathrow pages first, since they show the group's method most clearly — pick a specific decision, argue against it with official data, and convert that into a petition or legal challenge.