BEIS data shows spike in public awareness of net zero

Awareness of the UK’s target to reduce emissions to net zero has hit new heights, according to a new government report on the level of public engagement with climate change.

Around two in five (39 per cent) participants stated they had “a lot” or “a fair amount” of knowledge of net zero, with 87 per cent aware of the concept, according to the new research, which is based on an online survey of c7,000 people conducted between September and October 2020.

While only nine per cent of participants in the latest survey said they knew “a lot” about net zero, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) report says the findings provide further evidence that public awareness of the 2050 target has risen considerably over the past year.

In March 2020, 52 per cent were aware of net zero and just 13 per cent knew “a lot” or “a fair amount” about it, according to the department’s quarterly public attitudes tracker.

The report says there was no notable increased publicity surrounding net zero or climate change at the time of the survey, which was carried out prior to the announcement of the prime minister’s “ten-point plan” for a green industrial revolution.

Nearly four in five (78 per cent) of all participants in the exercise said they supported the net-zero target.

Of those who opposed the net zero target, the three most frequently cited reasons were that climate change is not an important issue, net zero is impossible to achieve, and that the target would be too “damaging or costly”.

Around three quarters (76 per cent) of participants in the survey believed there will be better health when net zero has been achieved, while 50 per cent felt the economy will improve.

When quizzed on which sector is perceived to contribute most to UK carbon emission, the biggest proportion (49 per cent) cited transport.

Asked about whether a range of measures to tackle climate change, energy efficiency (66 per cent) was reckoned most “likely” to occur in the next few decades.

Probed on whether the UK should focus on lifestyle changes or technological changes to reduce carbon emissions, 50 per cent of participants believed the UK should pursue an equal mix of the two.

Following the publication of the research, the House of Commons environmental audit committee announced the launch of a new initiative to track the government’s progress on meeting its net zero goal.

The committee will monitor whether the government’s strategies are adequate to meet its policy ambitions and suggest solutions.

Launching the committee’s new workstream, its chairman, Philip Dunne MP, said: “Earlier this week, the Climate Change Committee warned that time is running out to embed firm policies to make net zero Britain a reality.”

While he said the UK has made “much headway” in creating a cleaner electricity system over the last decade, there is “a long way to go” on the task of cleaning up transport, industry and buildings.

“The Covid crisis has clearly diverted government from this task. But now we must move beyond warm words: now is the time for policies that deliver strong incentives to cut carbon across the economy.

“The Climate Change Committee is doing an admirable job highlighting the shortcomings of the climate policy being developed in Whitehall and suggesting fixes before it is too late. Parliament has a key role to play here.”

The EAC’s new workstream will be carried on in parallel with the BEIS committee’s new inquiry on net zero governance, which was launched yesterday.