LOW-INCOME Islanders must be protected from bearing an unfair share of the cost of Jersey’s move towards net zero, a Reform Jersey politician has argued.
Deputy Lee Carpenter has proposed an amendment to the government’s Common Strategic Policy for 2026–2030 that would explicitly require a fair transition to a low- or zero-carbon economy.
It would commit ministers to ensuring that the costs did not fall disproportionately on people on low incomes or those working in carbon-intensive industries.
In his accompanying report, Deputy Carpenter warned that an existing commitment to fairness risked being lost as Jersey moved from planning climate action to delivering it.
The proposed strategic policy currently refers to a “practical and affordable” transition. His amendment would add the word “just”.
“That wording says nothing about who bears the costs,” he wrote of the existing proposal.
The report says the States Assembly has already endorsed the principle that the transition should protect vulnerable Islanders and avoid worsening income inequality.
However, Deputy Carpenter argued that households on lower incomes had the least ability to meet upfront costs such as replacing vehicles or upgrading heating systems.
Workers in carbon-intensive industries also faced changes to their livelihoods over which they had little control, he said.
His report cites analysis carried out for the government which acknowledged that lower-income households were likely to be disadvantaged unless policies were designed to prevent that.
The St Helier Deputy also pointed to the Independent Climate Council’s review of the Carbon Neutral Roadmap’s first phase, which identified “just transition failures”.
According to the amendment’s report, the review concluded that subsidies had favoured wealthier people, that principles requiring polluters to pay had been weakened or abandoned, and that some high-emission activities, including aviation, remained untaxed.
Deputy Carpenter argued that fairness was also essential to maintaining public support for climate action.
Consultation on the roadmap had shown strong backing for action, she said, but this depended on Islanders trusting that the burden would be shared fairly.
A transition perceived as placing a heavier burden on poorer households could undermine support and slow progress towards net zero, he warned.
Writing fairness into the strategic policy would give ministers a clear mandate to assess funding and policy decisions against that principle, while providing the Assembly with a standard for holding the government to account.
The financial and staffing implications would depend on the measures ministers subsequently proposed.
Any additional funding requirements would need to be considered through the Budget process.
