Mixed messages: climate policy climbdowns risk losing public trust

By Ed Houghton and Emily King 2023-10-26T06:00:00

To get the public on board with net zero targets, it is vital to have a consistent message from the government. When policy changes, it can be hard to win back confidence, write Ed Houghton and Emily King of DG Cities

In June, the UK’s independent climate change committee presented its annual report on progress towards net zero. The verdict was damning. In the committe’s words, action is far too slow to meet the country’s legal obligations to decarbonise, with housing and transport sectors the most pressed to deliver rapid change.

Fast forward to this autumn, to conference season, and the contents of the committee’s report seem to have been forgotten. We heard pro-car policy rhetoric, reducing net zero commitments to questions of individual choice and freedom, in opposition to the voices of the scientific community.

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