Green Party Conference 2026: The Top Events for Energy, Climate and Nature

Party conference season heads back down to Brighton this weekend for the Green Party’s biggest annual conference to date, with membership having grown from 68,000 members when leader Zack Polanski was elected last year to 230,000 today. 

As the ‘Burnham Bounce’ has resulted in many voters on the left returning to Labour, the Seahorse team will be at the conference to better understand the Green pitch to voters as they seek to reclaim lost momentum.  

Polanski is seemingly only planning to attend briefly on Friday 2 October, to deliver his leader’s speech, and reportedly even wanted to cancel the conference entirely, given its timing less than a week out from the pivotal Holborn and St Pancras by-election he is standing in.

In the by-election campaign, Polanski has sought to make hay of Labour’s expected approval of the Jackdaw gas field, and we can expect the North Sea decision to feature in Friday’s leader’s speech.

Elsewhere in the conference, we’ve picked out some of the key events discussing the energy transition and restoring the natural world; we will also have our eyes on proceedings in the conference hall as delegates debate and vote on policy motions, playing a significant role in party policy development.

Friday 2nd October

12:15-13:15, IPPR and Verdant: The new “normal”: Adapting to the climate crisis. Off the back of the hottest summer on record, Green Deputy Leader Rachel Millward joins Director of the Verdant think tank James Meadway and Sofie Jenkinson, Founding Director of non-profit Round Our Way to explore how the Greens would manage the climate crisis and how they will influence the Government to urgently respond to the scale of the challenge

Venue: Buckingham Room, Hilton Brighton Metropole

13:30-14:15, Welcome to Conference and Leader’s Speech. One week out from the Holborn & St Pancras by-election, Zack Polanski delivers his leaders speech to delegates.

Venue: Auditorium 1

14:30-15:15, Nesta and IPPR, A fairer future: how to bring down energy bills and tackle fuel poverty. The Guardian’s Jillian Ambrose chairs a discussion between Hannah Spencer MP, Nesta’s Madeleine Gabriel and IPPR’s Becca Massey Chase to explore solutions to bring down bills and accelerate the low-carbon heating transition.

Venue: Balmoral Room, Hilton Brighton Metropole

14:30-15:30, Adrian Ramsay MP & Panel: When Nature Fails: The Defence and Security Case for Climate Resilience. Adrian Ramsay MP chairs a panel to examine the risk posed by ecological breakdown to national security, the investment needed to protect communities, and the political will needed to respond to ecological collapse. Panellists: Emma Howard Boyd CBE (Chair, National Heat Risk Commission) and Lydia Collas (Head of Natural Environment at Green Alliance).

Venue: Auditorium 1

18:30-19:30, Rachel Millward & Panel: Who owns the Machine? AI, Power and the green alternative. This panel event, chaired by Green Party Deputy Leader Rachel Millward, will examine how AI is reshaping economies, ecosystems and democracy, and how a Green government would approach questions of energy use, ownership and oversight of AI. Speakers: Rachel Coldicutt (Founder, Careful Industries) and Tim Davies (Research Director at Connected By Data, and convenor of the Science and Technology Policy Working Group).

Venue: Auditorium 1

Saturday 3rd October

9:00-9:45, Uplift: A Fair Energy Future: Zack Polanski and Tessa Khan. Zack Polanski and Tessa Khan (Executive Director, Uplift) will discuss the politics of climate change, and how the UK can ensure the transition away from a fossil fuel economy is fair to workers, communities and bill payers. 

Venue: Buckingham Room, Hilton Brighton Metropole

9:00-10:00, Rewilding Britain, Marine Conservation Society, Surfers Against Sewage and Leave no Trace: Beach Clean. Start the day on the sea front with a beach clean.

Venue: Meet at Shelter Hall

10:15-11:00, Verdant: Ideas to Win: How do we take green values into government? From protecting workers during heatwaves to fair taxation to confronting fossil fuel giants, what are the bold ideas we need in a chaotic world, and how can these radical policies be translated into winning political power. Speakers: Faiza Shaheen (Tax Justice UK), James Meadway (Verdant Thinking) and Hannah Spencer MP, chaired by Martin Edobor (Chair, Verdant Thinking).

Venue: Pavilion Room, Grand Brighton Hotel.

10:15-11:00, More in Common: Nature crosses Britain’s divides: Can the Greens capitalise? In collaboration with National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, Woodland Trust, RSPB, and WWF. Nature protection resonates with voters beyond core Green supporters, but how should protecting it be framed to broaden the party's reach? As the party looks to expand its support, using exclusive polling, this event will explore how and why the party's offer on nature and climate could carry it beyond its current base.

Venue: Alexandra Room, Grand Brighton Hotel.

13:30-14:30, Cllr Jonathan Elmer & panel: Nature’s Rights Bill. Green Party councillor Jonathan Elmer chairs a discussion with Natalie Bennett about her Nature’s Rights Private Members’ Bill. They’re joined by Mumta Ito, founder of Nature’s Rights and author of the Bill, Amelia Womack (Former Green Deputy Leader and RSPB Head of Politics) and Cllr Emily O’Brien (Lewes District Council).

Venue: Auditorium 1.  

15:00-15:45, Adfree Cities: How Councils Can End Factory Farming. Local councils are taking action to end factory farming and promote plant-rich diets, for health, the environment, animals and local communities. This panel will outline local wins, flagship policies and how you can be part of this unstoppable movement.

Venue: Buckingham Room, Hilton Brighton Metropole

16:15-17:15, More in Common: Where next for the Greens? More in Common’s flagship deep dive into public opinion, exploring what’s next for the party following its recent successes under Polanski. Using exclusive polling, examine how voters’ views are evolving under a new PM, and the opportunities and challenges ahead. What can the party do to build on the momentum of the past year?

Venue: Alexandra Room, Grand Brighton Hotel.

16:15-17:15, New Economics Foundation: What Next for a Green Economy. Despite the effects of the climate crisis being all around us, the consensus on net zero appears to be wilting again. This panel will look at the economic factors driving the political paralysis, the consequences for people and planet, and the big ideas that can help reignite support for a green economy.

Venue: Buckingham Room, Hilton Brighton Metropole