As climate impacts intensify, who should pay for the costs?

As the UK enters a fifth deadly heatwave of summer, drought extends to more parts of the nation, and major fires at home and across Europe continue to make headlines – a public conversation around climate impacts has never been more relevant.

Thousands are already estimated to have died from heat in May and June, with many directly linked to climate change. It’s expected that this summer will see the highest number of heat-related deaths since records began. This morning it was announced that Andy Burnham will chair an emergency Cobra meeting due to the extreme heat, drought and fires.

But amidst this, oil giants are boasting record profits, media outlets aren’t routinely joining the dots, and there is continued uncertainty surrounding the government’s ‘pragmatic’ position on oil and gas drilling.

So, let’s take a look at climate opinion in this disjointed context.

Climate impacts are undeniably part of everyday life

People across the UK are already experiencing these changes first-hand.

Whether it’s homes becoming dangerously hot, concerns about drought and water shortages, or local communities being repeatedly flooded – the majority now say they have direct experience of climate impacts.

In new polling by Ipsos, over half of British adults (56%) said that this year’s extreme heat has disrupted their ability to carry out normal daily activities like working, exercising, or sleeping; while 9 in 10 (87%) think it’s likely that Britain will continue to experience similar severe heatwaves into the future.

Our research with Flooded People UK showed that – even before this summer’s heatwaves – heat had become the most commonly reported climate impact experienced in the UK. Almost half of respondents (46%) said they had personally experienced extreme heat. This was followed by severe storms (30%), poor air quality (21%), flooding (21%), drought or water scarcity (15%), and sea level rise or coastal erosion (9%).

In total, 69% of respondents reported personal experience of at least one kind of extreme weather event.

These findings reflect broader shifts in public engagement with climate extremes. For many people, climate impacts are no longer future possibilities, they are squarely part of everyday life.

Who should pay?

As nations suffer extreme climate impacts, oil companies are making huge profits. Our research shows that the public are connecting the dots.

Many in the UK are trying to adapt their homes to cope with the heat – but have been finding costs to be a major barrier. Ipsos report that the top reason for not planning to make home cooling changes is “lack of affordability” (39%).

In this context, one of the clearest findings from our recent research was that the public believe those who contribute the most to climate risks should cover more of the costs.

Three in four Britons (76%) support the principle that the biggest polluters should pay more of the costs associated with heatwaves, floods and storms in the UK.

A substantial majority endorsed the idea that fossil fuel companies, developers and utilities who make large profits in the process should contribute more to protection, clean-up and recovery costs arising from climate impacts.

And this extended across the political spectrum. The greatest support came from backers of Plaid Cymru (87%), the Green Party (85%), Labour (81%) and the Lib Dems (82%). Conservative supporters were not far behind (71%), while around half of Reform voters were supportive (51%) of the principle. By comparison, only 5% of the British public ‘strongly oppose’ this idea.

When asked who should pay the most for climate impacts, the public point towards national government (59%) and big oil and gas companies (41%), followed by local government (31%), insurance companies (26%) and developers (24%). Only 5% say those directly affected should bear the costs themselves.

The public are not alone in this: MPs also point to national government (44%), big oil and gas companies (43%), and insurance companies (30%) as the main parties responsible for paying for the majority of climate impacts, with only 5% saying ‘people affected by climate impacts’ should pay.

This highlights a growing sense of injustice around climate impacts in the UK – and acknowledgement that those hit hardest shouldn’t be the ones picking up the bill.

The public want greater action on adaptation

Beyond the costs, Britons want faster and bolder government action on climate preparedness.

71% of Britons agree that adapting to climate impacts should be an “urgent, top priority” for the government, with many also seeing the “shift to clean energy” as an urgent priority to mitigate climate risks (66%). Relatedly, a majority (55%) state that mitigation and adaptation should be treated as equally important – a finding echoed in other recent research.

This builds on previous Climate Barometer polling, which found that most people believe the UK remains underprepared for climate impacts. In 2024 polling, 78% said the UK is ‘not well prepared’ to deal with extreme weather such as flooding, storms and drought, while only 16% believed the country had made good progress on adaptation.

With Number 10 stating last week that a focus on “practical resilience alongside cutting emissions” is high on the government’s agenda – these parts of the message appear to have filtered through.

Looking ahead: The public expects climate risks to grow

Looking to the next decade, the public continues to express concern about the impacts climate change will have on their lives.

Britain’s greatest worries include harm to nature and wildlife (63%), rising household bills (54%), and suffering among the world’s poorest communities (49%). Only 14% say they are not worried about climate change affecting their lives over the next ten years.

As another summer of record temperatures unfolds, these findings paint a clear picture: people are feeling a range of climate impacts here and now, they want greater investment in climate protection, and they believe that those who contribute most to climate risks should contribute more towards the costs.

Yet alongside this is evidence of enduring optimism. In our 2025 polling, 42% agreed that by working together and taking radical action, we can still prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

More on all of this to come.