National communications drive is needed for net zero

A national communications drive is needed to help bring the public on board with the UK’s net-zero ambitions, Citizens Advice has suggested.

During the Utility Week Future of Heat Conference yesterday (12 May) several panellists spoke about building trust for consumers during the net-zero journey.

Zoe Guijarro, a policy manager at Citizens Advice, said the charity believed in the need for an effective national communications strategy to outline what the transition means for consumers.

Guijarro highlighted how the complex nature of achieving net zero means the way the strategy is communicated is vital. She further pointed to research by Citizens Advice which revealed a majority of people in the UK remain unaware of the 2050 target.

She said: “We need to have a national communication drive that’s going to outline what our ambition is to everyone, what it’s going to mean for all citizens. People need to be able to understand why it’s important and why it should be important to them, what it means for them and how they can help to realise that ambition.

“We need to start creating a shared understanding of net zero. But to do that we need to meet people where they are and communicate the vision in a way that means something to them.”

She spoke about the importance of engaging with local authorities, adding that the complexity of the challenge ahead means the communication needs to be much more in-depth.

“The complexity of net zero means that this will be a challenge quite possibly unlike anything we have ever undertaken before. Communication in this context is going to need much more depth and hand holding than we are used to when it comes to these national level communications.

“That is why we need to involve government stakeholder communication at all levels, from national to local, to ensure nobody is left behind and people are brought on this journey together regardless of their circumstances.”

Also speaking during the afternoon session was David Pilling, head of policy and public affairs at Ombudsman Services. He talked about a need for a “soft skills” approach in customer service for the sector to effectively communicate the net zero narrative.

Pilling said companies will need to become trusted partners, helping to drive education and information for their customers. This, he said, will have implications for the kind of people organisations will need to employ.

“It’s with these soft skills that people are able to communicate the net zero narrative in a way that resonates with consumers to build trust and enable them to understand what is required, how it effects them and what safeguards there are when things go wrong”, he said.