Imagine Britain not as a grim factory of carbon, debt and declining public services. Imagine instead a country that rebuilds itself around clean energy, good jobs, resilience and fairness. That vision is not airy or idealistic. It is happening already, and the data prove it.
Recent work by CBI Economics shows the UK’s net-zero economy generated £83.1 billion in value in 2024, supporting nearly a million full-time jobs. That means people working in renewables, energy efficiency, carbon-smart construction, recycling, low-carbon transport. These are jobs that pay more than average and help anchor communities that have spent decades searching for meaningful, durable work.
Net zero is not just a climate target. It is a social and economic project that gives us a future worth living in.
Why “Net Stupid Zero” Is a Slogan, Not a Serious Argument
In recent months we have heard louder mutterings from parts of the right about so-called “Net Stupid Zero”. A phrase that is meant to sound sharp, but collapses as soon as it touches real data.
The argument goes like this: net zero is an expensive burden. It kills jobs, drains public money and forces families to change their way of life. According to this narrative, the smart thing would be to abandon the whole transition and stick with fossil fuels for as long as possible.
The truth is the opposite.
Independent analysts from the International Energy Agency, the Oxford Martin School, the CBI and the UK Climate Change Committee all show the same picture. Clean energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels. The transition generates more jobs than it displaces. The economic opportunities far outweigh the upfront costs.
The “Net Stupid Zero” line is not a serious argument. It is a slogan born of frustration, repeated by commentators who rely on outdated numbers or who have a vested interest in keeping the world tied to fossil fuels.
Follow the Money: The Oil and Gas Vampires
There is a reason why a tiny but noisy fringe continues to attack net zero with such theatrical anger.
The groups pushing these narratives are often linked to, or financially supported by, fossil fuel interests. These organisations are the same networks that spent decades downplaying climate science, funding denial campaigns, and delaying action that could have saved lives and lowered costs.
They are not defending ordinary people. They are defending their ability to keep extracting wealth from a system that is hurting the climate, the economy and public health.
When someone proudly sneers about “Net Stupid Zero”, it is worth asking: who benefits if Britain slows down or stops the transition? It is not families facing rising energy bills. It is not communities living with poor air quality or flood risk. It is certainly not workers whose jobs in declining fossil industries will vanish regardless of political promises.
The real winners would be the oil and gas vampires. Because every year Britain delays, they earn more. And every year we wait, the cost of damage grows.
What Net Zero Promises — and Already Delivers
Clean air, healthier homes, energy efficiency for those who need it most.
High-productivity jobs that carry decent wages and local employment across all regions, not just London and the South East
A resilient economy built to last, less vulnerable to global fossil-fuel shocks and volatile commodity markets. The International Energy Agency says a net-zero energy system can remain affordable while enabling universal energy access and economic growth.
Averted future damage from climate breakdown, health burdens, pollution and the deep costs of adaptation — outcomes that disproportionately hit the vulnerable.
Put simply: Net Zero is not just a policy. It is a chance to reshape Britain’s social contract, to build infrastructure that serves people, stabilises communities and invests in human capital, not just profit.
The Danger: Green Gains Turned into Short-Term Sell-offs
But there is a danger. As governments continue to strain under debt and fiscal pressure, a reality laid bare by the 2025 Budget under Rachel Reeves, the green economy risks being reduced to short-term fiscal balancing. On one hand the Budget moves green costs off energy bills, a sensible step. On the other it freezes public finances and raises taxes elsewhere to cover deficits.
That creates a political risk. A future government may view publicly funded renewables, insulation programmes or low-carbon infrastructure as ripe for sale, to plug budget shortfalls. That would not only undercut the original public purpose. It would hand control to private firms, likely prioritising profit over fairness, resilience or public benefit.
That would be a betrayal. Because net-zero infrastructure is not just metal and concrete. It is community resilience: clean energy, secure supply, good jobs, cheaper bills in the long haul. Once sold off, it becomes harder, perhaps impossible, to steer it toward public good.
Why We Must Double Down, Not Back Off
Now is the moment to reject the slogans and the sabotage. To treat net zero not as a cultural battleground but as the backbone of a fair and resilient future.
We need long-term investment, public ownership where appropriate, and a political commitment that refuses to hand over our future to private buyers or fossil-funded lobbyists.
The facts are clear. The jobs are real. The growth is measurable. The alternative is expensive, dirty and deeply unfair.
TakeawayNet zero is not a burden and it is not “stupid”. It is the most important economic and social project of this century. Britain’s future will be cleaner, fairer and more prosperous if we protect it, invest in it and refuse to allow it to be undermined by the oil and gas vampires who fear losing their grip on the past.
