Britons don’t feel enough is being done to fight climate change – report

The majority of Britons do not believe that the government is doing enough to fight climate change, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan. 

Yet it seems that we aren't too clued up about what being eco-friendly means, ourselves. Of all the respondents who took part in the study, less than one in ten knew that heating was the single biggest cause of carbon dioxide pollution in the UK, or that it is the cause of a third of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Few were able to identify the majority of renewable heating technologies, either, with less than 70 per cent being able to identify wind turbines or solar power as sources of renewable energy.

The study also showed that just half of Britons definitely believe in climate change, with almost a quarter saying they have become more sceptical about the issue in the last few years. This was less so for the younger generation, however, with 22 per cent more 16-24 year-olds believing in it than those of 50 or over.

What is to be done?

More than 40 per cent said that they would do more to tackle climate change if they were given more financial support by the government.

“We would like to see a greater commitment from the Government to put funds aside for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme so more families and business owners can reap the benefits and reduce their CO2 emissions,” said Silvio Spiess, CEO and founder of Innasol.

The Renewable Heat Incentive scheme for domestic homes was introduced by the government in April this year. It is a financial incentive scheme designed to encourage uptake of renewable heating among domestic consumers.