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Submission on UK housing, human rights and climate

In a recent submission to the United Nations, new evidence highlights the critical intersection between UK housing policy, carbon emissions, and the fundamental right to an adequate standard of living. The briefing calls for urgent reform to address the UK's energy-inefficient housing stock and the resulting impact on vulnerable communities.

Dominika Leitane
• 2 min read
Steps and green railings leading to a block of pale green-coloured apartments

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Dominika Leitane

Dominika Leitane

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In January 2025, Opportunity Green and The Shift submitted a joint report to the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). The submission emphasises the UK’s obligation to address fuel poverty and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within the building sector to protect economic, social, and cultural (ESC) rights. 

The UK has an extremely poorly insulated housing stock, while household heating accounts for a significant proportion of the UK’s GHG emissions. Energy inefficiency and reliance on fossil fuel heating contribute to fuel poverty, cold and damp living conditions, and adverse health and social impacts, particularly among vulnerable and marginalised groups, which is exacerbated by the lack of adequate tenant protections in the UK.

Decarbonising home heating is vital for the UK to reach its net zero target, yet existing policies are insufficient for the UK to comply with its national and international climate change obligations. Evidence also shows that the UK’s policies on climate change adaptation fall short of what is needed to adapt the housing stock to climate impacts, signalling a failure by the UK to progressively realise ESC rights.

To meet its obligations, the UK must adopt policies that improve energy efficiency and transition to sustainable forms of home heating. These measures should prioritise vulnerable groups in line with principles of non-discrimination, ensure affordability, and align with the best available scientific evidence. This means:

Taking all measures necessary to decarbonise its housing stock in an equitable and non-discriminatory manner, greening household heating and improving efficiency.

Maximising its available resources to do so, in line with its international legal obligation to protect ESC rights. This means remediating policies that limit resource availability, like cutting tax advantages and imposing levies on fossil fuel companies.

Ensuring the obligation to actualise ESC rights extends to the private sector, and that it can be held accountable for breaching those rights.

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Submissions UK