How environmental issues are shaping hunger and hardship in the UK

Why we did this research

Every year, our community of food banks supports hundreds of thousands of people pushed to the brink because they don’t have enough money to live on. We see first-hand how rising costs, insecure work, and poor-quality housing can push people into hunger and hardship. But we also know that environmental change is increasingly part of this picture. To better understand these links, we commissioned an Environmental Evidence Review, to bring together the latest data, our own research, and the voices of people with lived experience.

Key findings

Environmental change is already making life harder for people needing to access emergency food provision. The report found:

• Households on the lowest incomes are the most exposed to climate risks, floods, heatwaves, and pollution and the least able to adapt. Rising food and energy costs, driven in part by climate change, are putting extra pressure on budgets that are already stretched to breaking point.
• Poor-quality housing and insecure work make people more vulnerable. Many people referred to food banks live in homes that are hard to heat or cool, and work in jobs that offer little security. When extreme weather hits or bills go up, there’s often nowhere to turn.
• Disabled people, carers, and people with mental health conditions face extra barriers. Many people turning to our food banks are disabled or have long-term health conditions. Climate impacts can worsen these conditions and increase the costs of care and support. 

Designing inclusive policies

Liz Gadd:
A ‘just and fair transition’ to a more sustainable way of life in the UK requires that everyone’s voices are heard. Too often, people most affected by environmental and economic change are least heard. This is why charities like Trussell play a vital role in amplifying the voices of people they support in environmental debates. The existing knowledge and networks of charities working with communities is critical, not everyone needs to be an environmental expert. During this project, we spoke with people who have experience of using food banks to test the findings against their life experiences, and understand what needs to change at a policy level. One participant put it simply, "environmental policy should go hand in hand with poverty reduction efforts."

Sarah Fullick, Assistant Director of Transformation at Trussell:
People on the lowest incomes are more likely to face multiple climate‑related risks that make it harder to afford the essentials. A just and fair transition must involve people experiencing hunger and hardship in shaping the solutions, ensuring decisions both protect our environment and protect people on the lowest incomes.

Opportunities for action 

Taking action that’s good for our environment can also reduce the need for food banks – it’s a win win. The transition to a greener economy, if done fairly, can help lift people out of hunger and reduce the need for food banks. Green jobs, better public transport, and investment in energy-efficient homes can all make a difference, but only if people most affected are included in the conversation.

Liz Gadd: 
“The transition to a greener economy, given the right choices, can reduce hunger and hardship. This research shows that outcomes depend on how environmental action is designed and delivered. Policymakers can protect living standards by aligning climate action with strong social security, fair work, and affordable, energy-efficient homes, and by involving people affected from the start. When policy choices share costs fairly and target support where it is most needed, a fair transition can reduce poverty and accelerate climate action at the same time.”

We’re calling on policymakers, funders, and partners to:

• Ensure new green jobs and training are available for people on the lowest incomes, and our social security system supports people to secure this work.
• Protect people on the lowest incomes from the fallout of environmental issues like increased flooding and storms, or rising food, housing and energy costs.
• Improve access to green and blue spaces where people can spend time together, not only reducing heat, flood risks and air pollution but strengthening communities and improving mental health.
• Improve the resilience of our homes and infrastructure to extreme weather, and reducing energy costs with solar panels, renewable energy and electric boilers.
• Involve people on the lowest incomes in finding solutions.

Find out more

Ending the need for food banks and tackling the climate and nature crises are shared challenges. They also have shared solutions. Together, we can build a fairer, greener UK where everyone has what they need to thrive.

Read the report