COP26: Public backs Government climate drive but some fear the cost
The British public back moves to ‘go green’ but a third fear efforts will hit them in the pocket, new polling reveals today.
More than half of both the public and MPs, who were also polled, believe climate change should be top of the Government’s agenda – regardless of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But knowledge of Government plans in the area remains low amongst the wider populace.
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The polling, conducted by Yonder on behalf of consultancy Cavendish Advocacy, makes clear the challenge the Government – and its successors – have in persuading the public that going green does not have to mean a financial hit.
A third of the public, predominantly older, believe that going green themselves by buying an electric car, upgrading their heating system or installing solar panels would result in their cost of living increasing.
Younger Brits however believe the opposite.
Last year the Government released a ten point plan which it says will lie at the heart of a “Green Industrial Revolution” ahead of this year’s COP26 summit, held in Glasgow.
Awareness however remains low, with 60 per cent of Brits unaware of the summit, and more than half of MPs also fearing that the ten point plan has also passed them by.
Challenges
MPs polled by Yonder and Cavendish said the top three challenges to achieving the Green Industrial Revolution were the decarbonisation of existing homes and buildings, the shift to zero emission vehicles and accelerating the transition to more active and sustainable transport.
Cavendish Advocacy’s Director James Bird said “it’s evident that more needs to be done to raise public awareness of the measures and behaviour changes needed to meet net zero.”
More than half of the public would consider switching to a renewable energy provider and a similar number would install better insulation in their homes.
But more costly measures were less popular – only 33 per cent would install solar panels, and only 34 per cent would buy an electric vehicle.
“These are potentially a big financial outlay for households but happens to be the measures which MPs quite rightly recognise as being crucial to the success of the Government’s ten point plan,” said Bird.
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