The irony of the timing of the past two heat waves in the UK is not lost on those working in climate.
This current bout of hot weather is falling during Net Zero Week, and last month a record-setting heat wave tormented attendees of London Climate Action Week (LCAW), when thousands of people from companies, NGOs, academia, and civil society attended and participated in hundreds of events across the city.
On one particularly sweltering morning during LCAW, Blakeney hosted a discussion on the state of net zero, asking: if research shows the majority of Britons support it, why are we seeing such vocal resistance?
After a wave of support for climate action earlier this decade, there’s been a growing pushback against net zero policies and actions, especially by political figures on the right. Fortunately, this uptick in commentary and negative media coverage doesn’t mirror public perception: 60 percent of Britons have indicated they support the UK’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050.
Stuart Stone, Intelligence Editor at BusinessGreen, moderated a panel of expert voices in the space: Will Webster, Head of Regulatory Economics at Centrica; Bob Ward, Policy and Communications Director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Andrew Bowie, Scottish Conservative MP for Aberdeenshire and Kincardine and Shadow Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero; and myself, Senior Account Director, Corporate Communications & Impact at Blakeney.
The conversation proved to be an engaging – and at times heated – discussion on why scepticism about net zero exists, where our communications have fallen flat, and how we can change the narrative to highlight what we stand to gain, not lose, from the net zero transition.
Despite differences in opinion and perspective, the panel was in agreement that we need to take a balanced approach to net zero communications. We can’t just focus on the climate – we need to expand our messaging to align with what our audience cares about, whether we’re speaking to voters, corporate leaders, or local politicians. We need to speak to the benefits that matter most: economic growth, job opportunities, benefits to personal finances, improved air and water quality, increased access to nature, and energy security.
The panel noted there’s a further opportunity to make the connection between net zero and another burning issue: national security. The impacts of extreme weather have the power to drive economic disruptions and spur instability, with ripple effects beyond the affected region. Bob Ward remarked that given immigration is a top focus for Reform, they ought to care more about climate change as extreme weather will continue to displace communities around the world, driving further migration.
That said, it’s not enough to only align our messaging with what our audience cares about. We also need to take the time to understand how and why people have come to hold the beliefs they do when it comes to net zero – whether they’re sceptical, resentful, confused, or unsure about the transition. We cannot afford to ignore or dismiss those who may disagree with us; if we are to solve climate change, we need to bring everyone into the tent, and that requires having honest, respectful conversations across the spectrum.
In these conversations, awareness of net zero doesn’t necessarily translate into deep understanding of the topic. There has been an overemphasis on the sacrifices and negative impacts of a net-zero transition (e.g. taxes, bans), which may lead individuals to label net zero simply as “bad”. This framing is affecting public perception: 38 percent of Britons believe that they will be worse off as a result of net-zero actions. Yet it’s not always eroding support – 41 percent of those who believe the UK’s net-zero commitments will leave them worse off still support the goal nonetheless.
It’s important that we use this moment to harness society’s concerns about climate change and drive support for net zero solutions. As we’re seeing this summer, the UK isn’timmune to the impacts of climate change. Research predicts the number of days exceeding 25°C will increase nearly four-fold, and we’ll see more intense rainfall, yet also more frequent and severe long-term droughts. Fixing the net zero narrative can power the clean energy transition, and there’s no time to waste.
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