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On October 15, the UK government celebrated the start of its first ever 鈥楪reen GB Week鈥� 鈥� an opportunity to promote clean growth for the nation. This followed hot on the heels of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, which set out the steps needed to limit global warming to less than 1.5掳C.
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There鈥檚 one indisputable conclusion to take from that report 鈥� if we鈥檙e to get climate change under control, absolutely everything must be on the table. This includes lifestyle changes such as flying less and cutting down on red meat.
Yet Claire Perry, the minister in charge of the UK鈥檚 climate change strategy, doesn鈥檛 see it this way. She described the idea of government telling us what to eat on climate grounds as 鈥渢he worst sort of Nanny State ever鈥�, adding: 鈥淲ho would I be to sit there advising people in the country coming home after a hard day of work to not have steak and chips?鈥�
Perry鈥檚 reluctance to ask us to change says something important about why public engagement on climate change has not been straightforward. People in wealthy, industrialised nations like the UK tend to see climate change as a 鈥榩sychologically distant鈥� risk: not here, and not now.
As a political issue, it struggles to compete with more immediate concerns like terrorism or insecure employment. Politicians also fear that engaging with the public on climate change risks comes across as preachy or interfering. And, particularly on the right of the political spectrum, there has been a degree of suspicion that climate change activists have a hidden left-wing agenda.
End of the world?
Adding to the public鈥檚 sense of disconnect, warnings of apocalyptic futures have been paired with 鈥榮imple and painless鈥� behavioural changes like re-using plastic bags and doing our recycling. It isn鈥檛 surprising that people are confused: is it the end of the world, or do we just need to change our coffee cups and ditch plastic drinking straws?
The research do 鈥� on how to improve the communication of climate change 鈥� is designed to address these problems. One clear outcome of that research is that it is crucial to talk about climate change in the here-and-now, linking changes in the weather to tangible and meaningful actions that people can take to cut carbon.
What鈥檚 more, most people find it easier to think about their own health than that of the planet, so of low-carbon activities like cycling instead of driving, or insulating draughty homes, might be a better way to go.
One big barrier is the prevailing social silence around climate change. Few of us discuss it with friends 鈥� perhaps that鈥檚 why politicians underestimate the level of support for renewable energy and concern about climate change. Getting the conversation going is the first step to meaningful action.
And most importantly of all, communication needs to connect with public values . Avoiding wastefulness in energy use, improving health outcomes, conserving green spaces and forests, creating a sense of pride in rebuilding the Great British energy system, and fostering a sense of responsibility to future generations are ways of talking about climate change that are more likely to resonate than guilt-laden messages about self-sacrifice.
Once the public is engaged in a meaningful conversation about why we have a responsibility to consider how we eat, travel and live in a changing climate, skipping the steak and chips might not sound like such a radical proposition.
Adam Corner is research director at Climate Outreach, Europe鈥檚 leading climate communication organisation
