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2026 climate events & a peek at May elections (Jan 2026)

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Happy new year! We hope you enjoyed the festive period and had a restful, restorative break. 2026 has got off to a turbulent start and, while it can be difficult to find hope in these dark times, there are opportunities for positive change in the coming months.

So let’s take a look at the key climate events in the year ahead…

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May election: Our chance to push Labour on climate

The big political event of the year is the local and devolved elections – scheduled for Thursday 7th May – when the following elections will take place in the UK:

  • 5,036 seats in 136 local authorities – including all 32 London borough councils
  • 6 mayors
  • Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament

Unlike 2025, many of this year’s local elections will take place within Labour-held councils. Over half of the London borough councils are controlled by Labour and half of the mayoralties up for election are currently Labour-held. In Wales, Labour could be facing its first stint in opposition since devolution, while in Scotland, the SNP are currently on track for a majority – in a clear reversal of Labour’s fortunes north of the border.

2026 is shaping up to be a make-or-break year for the Labour Party – and Keir Starmer’s leadership. That makes this year’s elections a real chance to send the government a clear message on climate.

We’ll be sharing our voting recommendations for your local area nearer the time. We’ll also be in touch with our plan for how you can help make these elections count. In the meantime, make sure you are registered to vote!

Lobby your MP for a National Emergency Briefing on climate and nature

Last year, Chris Packham introduced a National Emergency Briefing (NEB) for politicians and other leaders in Westminster, with expert speakers covering a host of themes. As we shared in last month’s newsletter, Beccy and Ben were delighted to attend on behalf of VoteClimate, and we met loads of great, like-minded people.

Now, NEB is campaigning for a public information broadcast on national TV, and inviting member organisations and local groups to host screenings in community venues such as village halls, churches or community centres. You’ll be supported with a full toolkit, including the film, guidance and digital publicity material. To register interest or find out more, visit NEB’s website or contact the team at info@nebriefing.org

What else is on the global climate agenda in 2026?

  • 28th-29th April: Colombia and co-convener the Netherlands will host the first International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia. This launches a new coalition of the willing, which could run in parallel with COP, following a deal signed between 24 nations at COP30.
  • 7th May: English local elections; Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament elections.
  • 4th and 26th October: Presidential elections in Brazil, with big implications for the future of the Amazon rainforest.
  • 19th-30th October: The two-yearly biodiversity COP (COP17) takes place in Yerevan, Armenia. Countries will carry out the first stocktake of the Global Biodiversity Framework, agreed at COP15 in Canada in 2022.
  • 3rd November: US midterms take place, with big implications for US climate policy.
  • 9th-20th November: Climate COP31 to take place in Antalya, Türkiye. Australia will preside over the talks as part of a deal with Türkiye.

Climate news 2026​

  • The US theft of Venezuelan oil has big implications for climate. A plausible scenario modelled by carbon accounting firm ClimatePartner found that Venezuelan oil production could use up to 13% of the remaining carbon budget. Venezuelan oil is particularly dirty, requiring huge amounts of energy to extract. Read more.
  • Climate-denying Tufton Street thinktank the Institute for Economic Affairs has started the year by ramping up their campaign against net zero. They have published a report estimating the cost of the energy transition… without taking into account the high cost of sticking with fossil fuels. Read more.
  • 2025 was the UK’s warmest and sunniest on record. This won’t have passed you by – the year was marked by a rain-free spring for much of the country, as well as a relentless, blisteringly hot summer – causing massive problems for UK farmers and our food security. Read more.
  • …and the third hottest on record globally. 2025 trailed 2024 and 2023 to become the third hottest since records began. Despite the La Niña cooling event acting to suppress global temperatures, last year still made the top three. Bloomberg reports on the range of factors which influenced global temperature averages in 2025. Read more (£).

Other campaigns to support in 2026

If you’re looking to get more involved in climate campaigning in 2026, have a look at these like-minded initiatives:

  • Stop Rosebank – a campaign to stop development of the North Sea’s Rosebank oilfield, putting pressure on the Scottish government and attempting to hold the UK’s Labour government to its promise to end new oil and gas.
  • ZeroHour – a campaign to get the UK government to pass the Climate and Nature (CAN) Bill into law. The CAN Bill is a plan for a new UK law that addresses the root causes of the climate and nature crises.

We’re looking forward to working together with you to achieve real climate action this year!

With very best wishes

Beccy, Ben, Garry, Jamie, Peter, Steve & William

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