In a 2021 UK Government survey, participants were questioned on their basic opinions and discussion points regarding climate change and its various impacts. 87% of participants reported that they treated climate change as a concern, and that after providing information on net-zero, 78% reported their support for the net-zero target. In a general sense, concerns for climate change have climbed in recent years, with scientific research from a decade ago paling in comparison to the myriad of evidence taking a physical toll worldwide - from the almost-yearly wildfires in Australia, to flooding in many other countries, including the UK. But does the level of concern match the public’s commitment and action in reaching net-zero?

“We’ve seen, in the last two or three years, concerns for climate change really go up,” says Director of the Centre of Climate Change, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, “If you look at what triggered it, some of it was to do with the scientific evidence and the publication of the IPCC 1.5C degree report, which was in late 2018.

“That sense of urgency is filtered through to the public, so we see most people will say that this is a really urgent issue. A lot of people are saying that 2050 is too late to reach a zero-net target. People do want things to happen quicker than they already are.”

To question whether our urgency towards the climate crisis matches our dedicated willingness to reach net-zero through changes in our own lifestyles, we can look at the introduction of the ULEZ in London in 2019 as an example. The 2021 government survey reported that 49% of participants perceived transport to be the largest contributor to carbon emissions overall. Just a year beforehand, another survey in regard to opinions on the ULEZ, found that 65.3% of commuters changed their mode of transport during the policy’s implementation - 37% of which changed before the policy came into full enactment. Only 34.7%, reportedly, did not change their mode of transport.

Congested Traffic. Source: Joseph Chan on Unsplash — Congested Traffic. *Source: Joseph Chan on Unsplash*

Professor Whitmarsh said: “Sometimes opposition can decrease significantly after a policy is implemented. It may also be that they don’t necessarily realise the benefits because they think there’s going to be a really negative impact on businesses, whereas the evidence suggests the opposite. People assume that it’ll take them longer to get to where they’re going to go, whereas, depending on how they adapt to the changes, if you cycle through a city, it’s quicker than driving.

“Fairness is a big part of why people don’t accept policies, if they think their neighbourhood is being singled out. If people can see that this is important because it’s going to bring benefits, and it’s fair, they tend to be more likely to accept it.”

Evidently, access to education, research and reports on the climate crisis is almost limitless - people see the looming consequences of carbon emissions and waste and they feel the urgency. But it is also evident that much of the initiative to ease this urgency comes from governments and communities pushing for people to weigh in the pros and cons of new policies, which may cause slight inconveniences if it means adjusting our consuming, wasteful lifestyles. Change is possible, and it’s happening. Given time and a lot of effort, it might not be as bad as we think.

The Climate Crisis: The Cost of Change