LAST year saw a wave of climate change coverage and record levels of public concern. One poll found that was the most important issue facing the country, and a major , with most people in most countries now worried about climate change. They wanted both government and personal action to address the problem. These are uncharted waters for public opinion across the planet.
This is a welcome development and it is long overdue. But it represents the start, rather than the finish line for public opinion. Dig deeper and some important planks of the transition to net zero start to look a little shakier.
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UK polling in the wake of COP26 found that 62 per cent of people thought the UK 鈥� as hosts of the conference 鈥� should be one of the most ambitious in the world on climate change, regardless of what other nations are doing. But only half that number were clear on what politicians were actually offering. Internationally, awareness of plans to tackle climate change is generally low.
To avoid public concern curdling into cynicism, political leaders must visibly practise what they preach. Otherwise, worries about the costs of living 鈥� and how the price tag of decarbonisation will be shared 鈥� will be weaponised by small but noisy groups who have shifted from challenging the science to criticising the costs of transition.
In reality, the price of not acting is much greater, but the cost of transitioning to net zero must be distributed fairly or the process will quickly unravel, and here people are eager to understand what a fair role for them is.
, individuals are increasingly willing to play their part in the shift ahead. But research from the on what 鈥減eople like them鈥� can do to reduce the country鈥檚 carbon emissions. And support could hit people鈥檚 wallets.
Nearly 70 per cent of people in the UK support 鈥渇requent-flyer levies鈥� in the abstract, for example, but this drops to 30 per cent if it costs them more to take a flight. In fact, a frequent-flyer levy would only apply to frequent flyers (in the UK about 70 per cent of flights are taken by 15 per cent of the population). This is all the more reason for governments to be clear about what a fair transition looks like, before misinformation and scaremongering takes hold.
In countries around the world, there are . Most citizens typically underestimate the significance of reducing air miles, so clarity from political leaders about not only what they are doing, but what can reasonably be expected of voters, is key.
The UK-based think tank Onward created a , impact on carbon emissions and relative urgency are taken into account. While graduates and high earners were very supportive of net-zero policies and willing to pay higher taxes and prices, non-graduates and people in low-income and lower socio-economic groups were more hesitant.
Some take this as a sign that the public rejects net-zero policies, but it should be seen as an invitation to make the costs fall fairly. The challenges are similar globally, and celebrating record levels of climate concern is toasting yesterday鈥檚 victories.
From lifestyle choices like forgoing flights, to who sees the benefit of investment in green jobs, the most important challenges for retaining public support on the road to net zero are now about getting the details right.
