Climate change remains top concern for UK public

30th September 2022


Callum shaw 7 SE389k UV Gw unsplash 1

Related Topics

Author

Chris Seekings

Around three-quarters of UK adults are currently worried about climate change, making it the joint most concerning issue in the country, a survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found.

The findings, published today, show that 76% of adults are “very” or “somewhat” worried about climate change, with the same proportion also concerned about the cost-of-living crisis.

Russia’s conflict with Ukraine, the environment, and new variants of COVID-19 complete the top five issues uncovered by the survey, which was carried out between 14 and 25 September.

The findings come after Liz Truss decided to lift a three-year ban on fracking in England, with reports also suggesting that the new PM will announce dozens of new North Sea oil and gas exploration licenses.

James Fotherby, policy adviser at Green Alliance, told Transform that the government should not let tackling the climate emergency be sidetracked by the cost-of-living crisis.

He continued: “Rather than view both crises as trade-offs, the government should look to shared solutions.

“Insulating Britain’s leaky homes and accelerating the transition to clean and cheap renewable energy like wind and solar, for example, will cut carbon emissions and permanently reduce household energy bills.”

The most concerning issues uncovered by the ONS survey are shown below:

A whopping 91% respondents said that their cost of living had increased in comparison to a year ago, while 73% reported an increase over the last month.

The main reasons for the rise over the past month were increases in the price of food, gas or electricity bills, and fuel, cited by 95%, 73% and 51%, respectively.

Around four in 10 adults who pay energy bills said they found it very or somewhat difficult to afford them in the latest period.

Despite these challenges, Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, Mike Childs, told Transform that it is “not surprising” that climate change remains a top concern for the UK public.

“Liz Truss must respond to these concerns by backtracking on proposals for fracking and new gas and oil extraction," he continued. "It’s our reliance on fossil fuels that lies at the heart of both the cost-of-living and climate crises, which is why action to tackle them simultaneously should be a top priority for this government.

“Ministers must instead give proper backing to cheap, popular and abundant homegrown renewables as well as investing in a nationwide street-by-street programme to insulate the UK’s heat-leaking homes and bring down sky-high bills.”

Image credit: Unsplash

Graph credit: ONS

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

Facing the climate emergency challenge in local government

It’s well recognised that the public sector has the opportunity to work towards a national net-zero landscape that goes well beyond improving on its own performance; it can also influence through procurement and can direct through policy.

19th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) strategy is based on optimistic techno-economic assumptions that are now outdated, Carbon Tracker has warned.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK’s new biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements could create 15,000 hectares of woodlands, heath, grasslands, and wetlands and absorb 650,000 tonnes of carbon each year.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s latest Public Attitudes Tracker has found broad support for efforts to tackle climate change, although there are significant concerns that bills will rise.

13th March 2024

Read more

Multinational corporations are undermining their net-zero commitments with excessive air travel and no plans to reduce ‘the low hanging fruit’ of carbon footprints, a study by Transport & Environment has found.

13th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s climate adaptation plans are ‘inadequate’ and falling ‘far short’ of what is required, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has warned today.

13th March 2024

Read more

Large businesses across the world are avoiding climate action due to fear they will be called out for getting their work wrong, according to a new Carbon Trust report.

29th February 2024

Read more

A thought-provoking discussion on how storytelling can change the world took place in Central London last night, alongside an exclusive sneak preview of an upcoming IEMA film series.

29th February 2024

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close