Public concern over climate change doubles, despite UK government's net-zero doubts

A quarter of people surveyed in poll said the environment is among most important issues facing the country

Artwork on New Brighton Beach, north-west England, ahead of Cop26 in 2021. UK concern over the environment is at its highest since the UN climate summit, a poll has found. Getty Images

Concern about climate change has jumped in the UK, despite a “run of negativity” towards net-zero policies, a survey published on Wednesday found.

One in four people in Britain now see the environment as among the most important issues – twice as many as a month ago and the highest level since the 2021 Cop26 summit in Glasgow, according to the poll by market research company Ipsos.

This comes as extreme temperatures, wildfires and ocean warming have made headlines around the world in recent weeks.

The increase in concern is despite Britain’s governing Conservative Party warning that pursuing net-zero policies could damage investment in Britain.

The Tories have sought to draw battle lines for a 2024 general election by expanding North Sea oil and gas drilling and criticising low-emission traffic policies.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has positioned himself as a friend of the motorist, has said Britain is still committed to reaching net zero by 2050, but would do so in a “proportionate and pragmatic way”.

Emma Pinchbeck, the chief executive of Energy UK, the trade association for the energy industry, said ministers should be “out beating the drum” to attract green investment.

She told an event hosted by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, a non-profit organisation conducting research and analysis on energy and climate issues, that politicians “really underestimate how fast money moves” in response to market signals.

“We’ve had a bit of a run of negativity from the UK, some bits of the UK press and bits of the government, about whether net zero is worth it,” she said.

“What industry hears when they hear that is ‘we’re not clear about the long-term investment’.”

She said climate-friendly government messaging was a way to attract investment when ministers cannot simply “throw loads of money at the problem”.

“[If] I was government, I’d be out beating the drum for clean energy technologies and being as positive as I possibly could, because that in itself will often secure investment into your country,” she said.

Concern about the environment now ranks joint third with the National Health Service and behind the economy and inflation, according to the Ipsos survey.

It showed 25 per cent saw the environment as an important issue, up by 13 per cent in a month.

Climate change around the world – in pictures

“News reports about wildfires and extreme temperatures disrupting holidays are a likely cause” of the jump, Mike Clemence, a researcher at Ipsos, said.

“Elsewhere we see a small rise in concern about immigration, with worry strongly centred among Conservative party supporters and older people.

"However, economic issues continue to lead public concern, with worry about the state of the economy rising this month, particularly for Labour party supporters and the middle classes.”

The Labour Party opposition, which leads in the polls, has accused Mr Sunak of failing to invest in renewables, in what Labour leader Keir Starmer called a gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Engineers carry solar panels on to the roof of a property in Barcelona in September 2022. Spain and other Mediterranean countries have generated record amounts of power from wind and solar farms. Bloomberg

Smoke rises from brick factory stacks in Nahrawan, Baghdad. Tackling emissions from heavy industry is crucial to tackling global warming. Reuters

A boy stands near a flock of sheep as a sandstorm approaches in the Syrian countryside of Tabqa. Syria is among the countries most vulnerable and poorly prepared for climate change, which is expected to worsen. AFP

Mountains of smouldering rubbish at the Bhalswa landfill in New Delhi, India. Reuters

Greenpeace activists take part in a climate change protest in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in May. AP

A man carries water bottles across the heavily polluted Negro River in Manaus, Brazil. About 35 tonnes of rubbish are removed daily from the river. AP

A helicopter drops water on a brush fire in California. Bloomberg

UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa speaks on the opening day of the Bonn climate change conference in Germany. Getty

Activists take part in a demonstration to raise awareness of global warming, during an event to mark World Environment Day in Kolkata. AFP

A helicopter drops water on a bushfire near a residential district in Athens. The fire forced residents to flee. AFP

A gauge measures water levels in the Rio Nambe river, in New Mexico. Ninety per cent of the state is experiencing extreme drought. Getty

Afghan refugees search for recyclable material from heaps of rubbish in Karachi, Pakistan. AP

A climate activist ties herself to the net during the semi-final tennis match between Croatia's Marin Cilic and Norway's Casper Ruud at the French Open in Roland Garros in Paris. AP

A dance group performs at a climate summit in Stockholm, Sweden. Getty

US climate envoy John Kerry talks to a delegate at the Stockholm 50 climate summit. Getty

A boat is stranded during low tide at the Chebayesh marsh in Dhi Qar province, Iraq. Reuters

A woman crosses a polluted river in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

A man walks past an abandoned boat in the bed of a drought-affected reservoir on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen. EPA

However, the Conservatives seized on a surprise London by-election win last month – widely attributed to an unpopular Labour-backed low emission zone – to court support from people worried about the costs of net zero.

Ministers have also accused Labour of being in league with Just Stop Oil climate activists who have blocked roads and staged a series of provocative stunts.

For its August 2023 Ipsos Issues Index, the company interviewed 1,004 adults between August 2 and August 7.