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‘Net zero’ has made national headlines in September, with an Energy Security and Net Zero committee report recommending that the government stop talking about net zero, to Prime Minister Andy Burnham reaffirming the policy, a few hours later, explicitly stating the need for the UK to reach net zero by 2050.
Our latest data shows that holding steady is the right move, with net zero still receiving majority support among the public and MPs, and even trending upward slightly.
While it is clear that ‘net zero’ is not the most compelling communications phrase, it is also apparent that the public understand and are willing to support it, especially when linked back to its purpose, to address climate change. Rather than ditching the term, our work suggests that talking about the government’s net zero target is best done when connected to compelling reasons ‘why’, and clear explanations for ‘how’ it can be achieved.
Latest Climate Barometer tracking finds that people in Scotland and London are most likely to have seen measures to address climate change in their local area.
As highlighted in the chart below, people in Scotland are most likely to have noticed
Londoners are similar, but also noting more EV infrastructure, traffic reduction measures and flood defences. Londoners are also by far the most likely of all regions to have seen heat reduction measures implemented in their area.
Those in the North of England, Wales, England’s East and the Midlands, and the South are more likely than those in Scotland and London to say that they have seen ‘none of the above’ in their area.
This data points to emerging evidence for gaps and inequalities in the regional implementation of climate measures, building on other Climate Barometer tracker data showing income gaps around the same measures.
Policies proposed to address climate change are varied in scope. Our latest Climate Barometer tracker looks at whether many of these policies are seen by the public as ‘climate policies’ or whether they are believed to be targeting other issues.
Some policies are seen as primarily addressing climate change:
Many policies that involve improving the natural environment are seen as ‘protecting nature’ rather than tackling or responding/adapting to climate change:
Other urban infrastructure and design policies tend also to be seen as primarily addressing other issues:
And policies aiming to target the wealthy/ polluting groups are also less likely to be seen as outright climate policies
Policies often have multiple aims and goals, and whether policies are seen as ‘climate’ policies is not a problem in and of itself. In many cases, a climate policy being seen as a cost of living or nature protection measure may mean a wider section of society see its benefits. Crucially, it is important to be aware of how various policies are being ‘read’ by the public, and whether or not the aims of the policy are being understood.
Does the public support more drilling in the North Sea? The story beyond individual polls