THE OTHER HALF ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THEIR FAMILIES
Amy Gibbons
‘Nonsensical rabbit hole’
Mr Mackinlay said: “I am not at all surprised that polling shows the British public, now facing the reality of net zero costs, becoming lukewarm to the project.
“They are feeling the increased cost in their energy bills and being told that a variety of reliable items from cars to heating systems are to be banned in favour of untried, unreliable and hideously expensive technologies they do not want.
“All the while they look abroad and see that few others are following the UK down this nonsensical rabbit hole. It’s little wonder the public are asking ‘why’?”
Rachel Brisley, head of energy and environment at Ipsos UK, said the research “starkly illustrates the reality of balancing the energy trilemma of security, affordability and sustainability”.
“The cost of living crisis remains top of mind for the British public, impacting their ability to take action to reduce climate change even though most would like to do more,” she said.
“Incentives like making public transport easier to use are more popular than penalties such as making it more expensive to drive.
“And the importance of energy security is highlighted by more than half of Britons thinking new oil and gas licences will help reduce our dependence on other countries for energy.
“Balancing these concerns will continue to be a challenge for policymakers as well as the public as we transition towards net zero.”
‘The UK is a world leader’
A Government spokesman said: “We know families are concerned about the cost of living and we provided nearly £40 billion to cover around half a typical household’s energy bill last winter.
“Energy prices have fallen significantly since last autumn and we’re making sure the Energy Price Guarantee remains in place as a safety net through to April 2024.
“The UK is a world leader on net zero and we are progressing our commitments in a proportionate and pragmatic way – listening to businesses and consumers to protect families, bring down energy bills and grow the economy.”
Amy Gibbons
THE TORY TELEGRAPH
Sat, 2 September 2023
Woman in milk aisle
More than half of British people are too concerned about the cost of living to worry about climate change, a new poll suggests.
An Ipsos UK survey found 52 per cent of Britons are too consumed by sky-high living costs to consider the environment, while 51 per cent would like to do more to help but cannot afford to.
It comes as Rishi Sunak is under pressure to mitigate the impact of the Government’s net zero drive on households already hit hard by the cost of living crisis.
Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, head of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, said the results suggest the British public is turning “lukewarm” on the 2050 climate target.
The UK is legally obliged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 100 per cent over the next 27 years, an objective signed into law by Theresa May.
Nearly half avoid harming environment
The Prime Minister has committed to making the transition in a “proportionate and pragmatic” manner, but recently ruled out a referendum on the plans – despite calls from his party to give the public a vote.
The survey, carried out in the first week of August and shared exclusively with The Telegraph, asked 1,000 British adults about their views on energy conservation.
While a majority said they were too worried about living costs to think about the impacts of the climate crisis, nearly half (45 per cent) said they try to avoid lifestyle changes that harm the environment when they are saving money.
Less than a third (29 per cent) said they found that eco-friendly lifestyle choices were often cheaper, with nearly one in four (37 per cent) disagreeing.
A majority (55 per cent) also believe Mr Sunak’s commitment to granting new oil and gas licences in the North Sea will help reduce Britain’s dependency on other nations for energy, while nearly half (47 per cent) think it will boost the economy.
The findings will be food for thought for Claire Coutinho, the new Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, who replaced Grant Shapps in the role when he was made Defence Secretary on Thursday.
Sat, 2 September 2023
Woman in milk aisle
More than half of British people are too concerned about the cost of living to worry about climate change, a new poll suggests.
An Ipsos UK survey found 52 per cent of Britons are too consumed by sky-high living costs to consider the environment, while 51 per cent would like to do more to help but cannot afford to.
It comes as Rishi Sunak is under pressure to mitigate the impact of the Government’s net zero drive on households already hit hard by the cost of living crisis.
Tory MP Craig Mackinlay, head of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, said the results suggest the British public is turning “lukewarm” on the 2050 climate target.
The UK is legally obliged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 100 per cent over the next 27 years, an objective signed into law by Theresa May.
Nearly half avoid harming environment
The Prime Minister has committed to making the transition in a “proportionate and pragmatic” manner, but recently ruled out a referendum on the plans – despite calls from his party to give the public a vote.
The survey, carried out in the first week of August and shared exclusively with The Telegraph, asked 1,000 British adults about their views on energy conservation.
While a majority said they were too worried about living costs to think about the impacts of the climate crisis, nearly half (45 per cent) said they try to avoid lifestyle changes that harm the environment when they are saving money.
Less than a third (29 per cent) said they found that eco-friendly lifestyle choices were often cheaper, with nearly one in four (37 per cent) disagreeing.
A majority (55 per cent) also believe Mr Sunak’s commitment to granting new oil and gas licences in the North Sea will help reduce Britain’s dependency on other nations for energy, while nearly half (47 per cent) think it will boost the economy.
The findings will be food for thought for Claire Coutinho, the new Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary, who replaced Grant Shapps in the role when he was made Defence Secretary on Thursday.
‘Nonsensical rabbit hole’
Mr Mackinlay said: “I am not at all surprised that polling shows the British public, now facing the reality of net zero costs, becoming lukewarm to the project.
“They are feeling the increased cost in their energy bills and being told that a variety of reliable items from cars to heating systems are to be banned in favour of untried, unreliable and hideously expensive technologies they do not want.
“All the while they look abroad and see that few others are following the UK down this nonsensical rabbit hole. It’s little wonder the public are asking ‘why’?”
Rachel Brisley, head of energy and environment at Ipsos UK, said the research “starkly illustrates the reality of balancing the energy trilemma of security, affordability and sustainability”.
“The cost of living crisis remains top of mind for the British public, impacting their ability to take action to reduce climate change even though most would like to do more,” she said.
“Incentives like making public transport easier to use are more popular than penalties such as making it more expensive to drive.
“And the importance of energy security is highlighted by more than half of Britons thinking new oil and gas licences will help reduce our dependence on other countries for energy.
“Balancing these concerns will continue to be a challenge for policymakers as well as the public as we transition towards net zero.”
‘The UK is a world leader’
A Government spokesman said: “We know families are concerned about the cost of living and we provided nearly £40 billion to cover around half a typical household’s energy bill last winter.
“Energy prices have fallen significantly since last autumn and we’re making sure the Energy Price Guarantee remains in place as a safety net through to April 2024.
“The UK is a world leader on net zero and we are progressing our commitments in a proportionate and pragmatic way – listening to businesses and consumers to protect families, bring down energy bills and grow the economy.”
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