The new Prime Minister is picking up an ineffective decarbonisation legacy, despite significant national progress on emissions.
Conducted in June, weeks before Andy Burnham became leader of the Labour Party and then took office in Number 10, a poll of UK adults conducted for The Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals has found little faith in Downing Street’s ability to decarbonise by 2050.
Although the public as a whole supports net zero, with 50% believing balancing the carbon budget by 2050 is important and just 21% arguing it is not important, only 12% think the UK Government has a clear and credible plan to get there.
‘Despite recent political fragmentation surrounding climate policy in the UK – this poll shows achieving net zero by 2050 continues to have public support. Decarbonisation remains a critical priority, economically and socially – with twice as many people supporting the UK’s climate target as opposing it,’ said ISEP deputy CEO Martin Baxter.
‘And that support is holding, even amid a cost-of-living crisis, rising energy prices and growing concerns around energy security intensifying scrutiny about how the transition to net zero will affect household finances, jobs and economic growth,’ he continued.
Britain has managed to cut its carbon emissions by around 50% compared with 1990 levels. Most of this has come from switching from coal and gas power stations to renewable and lower carbon sources. Crucially, the remaining emissions are largely attributed to sectors which are notoriously difficult to tackle, including pre-existing built environment, construction, aviation and agriculture. According to Climate Action Tracker, the UK rans as ‘Insufficient’ in terms of steps to decarbonise.
‘While sustainability experts have widely welcomed the latest Carbon Budget, it is clear the Government has a job to do to communicate a credible delivery plan to both the public and professionals,’ added Baxter. ‘Yet the one thing virtually all voters agree on, no matter which political stripe, is scepticism about whether the UK has a clear plan to reach net zero.’
Image: Jordhan Madec / Unsplash
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