BEIS data shows 64% of public unaware of net zero

Two thirds of the population have not heard of the concept of “net zero”, according to new government figures.

The latest quarterly edition of the department for business, energy and industrial strategy’s Public Attitudes Tracker, published this morning (7 May), includes for the first time a section on public awareness about the recently introduced target to slash carbon emissions to net zero by 2050.

But 64 per cent of respondents said they had never heard of the concept, which underpins much current policy to decarbonise energy generation.

Of those who were aware of the concept, 3 per cent said they knew a lot about it, 9 per cent a fair amount, 13 per cent a little, and 10 per cent had only heard about it.

Awareness was higher amongst men and those in the middle-class AB social grades.

The tracker, which was collected as the UK plunged into the coronavirus crisis, also shows that concern about climate change dipped.

Three quarters (76 per cent) of people said they were either very or fairly concerned about climate change. This latest figure marks a fall from the peak of 80 per cent recorded in March 2019, just before the Extinction Rebellion protests focused attention on the issue.

The proportion who said they are not concerned about climate change has increased to 22 per cent from the low of 19 per cent observed in March 2019.

However, the proportion who are “very” worried about climate change remained steady at 35 per cent and the overall level of concern has increased from 65 per cent since the question was first asked in 2012.

The tracker also shows that the proportion, who think people in the UK are being affected a great deal by climate change, has increased from 14 per cent to 25 per cent.

It reveals support for nuclear power has plunged to a record low of 32 per cent, continuing a downward trend since 2014, with the proportion in favour remaining stable at 23 per cent.

There were record low scores for the proportion who believe that nuclear power provides a reliable source of energy in the UK (44 per cent) and will help to tackle climate change (30 per cent).

Meanwhile, there is still significant support for renewable energy, which was backed by 82 per cent of respondents.

The levels of support for solar, offshore wind, onshore wind and wave and tidal energy were 86 per cent, 81 per cent, 77 per cent and 80 per cent respectively.

Melanie Onn, deputy chief executive of RenewableUK, said: “Even while we face the unprecedented challenges posed by Covid-19, the public supports continued action to avoid the worst the impacts of climate change and make our economy more sustainable.

“Investment in new renewables, which is supported by 82 per cent of people, will stimulate growth and employment as the economy recovers from the impacts of the virus. Renewable energy capacity will grow rapidly this decade and beyond to meet our net zero emissions target, and our industry will be investing tens of billions of pounds and creating much-needed jobs across the UK”.