Seven in 10 lack confidence that UK will meet climate change targets

Britain's government has pledged to cut emissions by 78 per cent by 2035

A power station in the UK. Glasgow will host the Cop26 climate summit in November. Bloomberg

Nearly seven in 10 British adults are not confident that the UK government will hit its target to cut emissions by 78 per cent by 2035, research shows.

Polling by YouGov, commissioned by the World Wide Fund for Nature, also found that 77 per cent believe the government should help fund changes to homes to make them more environmentally friendly.

Analysis from the WWF shows that only a minuscule amount of the 2021 Budget, about 0.01 per cent of gross domestic product, is being put towards climate change mitigation.

That is despite the UK government portraying itself as a key driver in tackling global warming and its effects. As president of the G7, the UK has put climate change at the heart of its agenda, and Glasgow will host the UN’s Cop26 climate conference in November.

The polling comes after the release earlier this week of a devastating report by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which said the global temperature rise compared to pre-industrial levels is set to exceed 1.5°C in the 2030s.

“With nature in free fall and the climate in crisis, the clock is ticking for the planet, as the latest IPCC reports makes clear. It’s not yet too late to prevent global warming from rising above 1.5°C — it is in our hands. But to do that, the UK government must play its part by keeping every climate promise it has made,” said Isabella O’Dowd, head of climate change at WWF.

“The latest Budget simply doesn’t add up to the cleaner, greener future we all want to see. To turn things around, ministers must close the gap between their climate commitments and their spending plans, by adopting a Net Zero Test for all government spending ahead of the UK-hosted Cop26 climate summit in November.

“We won’t forget the government’s climate promises and, together with our supporters, we will hold government to account for delivering on them.”

Egrets are seen on mangrove trees during sunrise at Kajhu beach, Aceh province, Indonesia. AFP

Fire burns on the slopes of Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. AP Photo

A fisherman on his pirogue throws a net in the Niger river in Mopti, Mali. Fishing is threatened by climate changes, unselective fishing and armed groups present in the rural zones in central Mali. AFP

World leaders virtually attend the Leaders Summit on Climate, as seen from the East Room of the White House. AP Photo

US President Joe Biden speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, from the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. AP Photo

US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, from the East Room of the White House. AP Photo

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate in a video screenshot. Bloomberg

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate in a video screenshot. Bloomberg

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a virtual international climate summit with US President Joe Biden in Berlin, Germany. AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. Bloomberg

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a Climate Summit video conference, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France. EPA

Sheikh Hasina Wajed, Bangladesh's prime minister, right, speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. Bloomberg

Yoshihide Suga, Japan's prime minister, speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. Bloomberg

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen listens to US President Joe Biden during a virtual global climate summit, at The Prime Minister's Office in Copenhagen, Denmark. Reuters

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. Bloomberg

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a virtual Leaders Summit on Climate from Moscow, Russia. EPA

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. Bloomberg

US President Joe Biden speaks to the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry looks on. AP Photo

Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. Bloomberg

President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, right, listen during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate. AP Photo

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A man collects garbage, including plastic waste, at the beach of Costa del Este, in Panama City. AFP

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Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid attends the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted remotely by US President Joe Biden.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid attends the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted remotely by US President Joe Biden.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid attends the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted remotely by US President Joe Biden.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid attends the Leaders Summit on Climate hosted remotely by US President Joe Biden.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during the virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, at the presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (Lee Jin-wook/Yonhap via AP)

Charles Michel attends a virtual Global Climate Summit via video link from the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, April 22, 2021. (Johanna Geron, Pool via AP)

epa09152991 A screen shows Xie Zhenhua, China's Special Envoy for Climate Change, speaking during a media briefing on Chinese President Xi Jinping's attendance at virtual international Leaders Summit on Climate, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beijing, China, 22 April 2021. Around 40 international leaders attended the summit called by US President Biden. The meeting is intended to underline the urgency and economic benefits of stronger climate action on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021. EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY

epa09152984 A handout photo made available by the Presidency of Brazil that shows President Jair Bolsonaro, along with the Minister of the Environment, Ricardo Salles (L), during the climate summit convened by the US President, Joe Biden, at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, 22 April 2021. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced that his country will seek to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, ten years before the previous environmental commitment. Around 40 international leaders attended the summit called by US President Biden. The meeting is intended to underline the urgency and economic benefits of stronger climate action on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021. EPA/MARCOS CORREA / BRAZIL PRESIDENCY / HANDOUT MANDATORY CREDIT: HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

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BERLIN, GERMANY - APRIL 22: German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes part in the virtual international climate summit with US President Joe Biden, on April 22, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. The meeting aims to underline the urgency and economic benefits of stronger climate action on the way to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November. Around 40 top international politicians take part in the summit. (Photo by Kay Nietfeld - Pool/Getty Images)

Prime Minister Boris Johnson listens to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (on screen) during the opening session of the virtual global Leaders Summit on Climate, as he sits in the Downing Street Briefing Room in central London, Thursday April 22, 2021. The virtual event attended by many national leaders from their countries around the globe, to raise global ambition on climate change is taking place on Earth Day, and hosted by US President Joe Biden. (Justin Tallis/Pool via AP)

The WWF said climate mitigation policies from the March 2021 Budget amounted to £145 million ($201m), “while policies that will drive up emissions — like the fuel duty freeze — equate to over £40 billion”.

“The net zero transition should be seen as an investment, not a cost. Making the right spending choices today to tackle the climate crisis will not only reduce costs in the future, but also unlock benefits for the UK economy,” Ms O’Dowd said.

“To ensure all households enjoy those benefits — from healthier homes to lower energy bills — the government must invest now, making good on its climate promises while ensuring no one is left behind in the transition to net zero.”