In a blow to the environment, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a U-turn on several net zero policies last week, including pushing back the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK from 2030 to 2035. Mr. Sunak claimed that moving too fast on green policies “risks losing the consent of the British people.“
GlobeScan’s public opinion data show that the UK public is nearly unanimous on seeing the need to shift to a green economy (91%) but is less convinced of its positive effects on their lives (60%). In particular, people living in smaller towns and villages (traditional conservative-voting areas) are less convinced that the green transition will benefit them.
To secure ambitious climate action and a Just Transition to a low-carbon economy, it will be important to demonstrate more clearly how climate policies deliver solutions that benefit people in their day-to-day lives.
Source: GlobeScan Radar Trends Report (survey of 29,565 people in the general public in July ‒ August 2023)
