The public want climate action - are the government doing enough?

The Climate Change Committee’s latest progress report on adapting to climate change painted a stark picture on the UK’s preparedness (or lack of) for the impacts of climate change. Across the board, the CCC found a lack of action, and a lack of plans to take action in the future. Their recommendations centre around Government taking strong action, through improving objectives and targets, better coordinating activities across Government departments and levels, integrating adaptation across all relevant policies, and implementing monitoring, evaluation, and learning across all sectors. 

This aligns with Ipsos’s evidence on what the public think. We know the majority (72%) of the public are concerned about the impacts of climate change, with this concern having increased by 8 percentage points since 2022. In 2024, our Earth4All survey found that two in three (67%) agreed that, because of human activities, the Earth is close to environmental tipping points. 

Ipsos also conducted a pioneering public dialogue on climate adaptation, which revealed major concern about climate impacts and also shock, and some anger, that the public were not made aware of how severe these impacts could be and how soon they are likely to be felt.
Our research with the public in relation to adaptation strongly suggests that the public want to see action, and do not think current Government plans are enough. Participants in the public dialogue were emphatic the Government had primary responsibility for adaptation, and wanted to see immediate, proactive steps being taken to protect communities and individuals most vulnerable to climate impacts. They did recognise how businesses and the public should also take responsibility but that it was very much for Government to lead the way. Interestingly, in the dialogue the public suggested that there should be a national risk assessment of climate risks and a national adaptation plan – both of these are in place but clearly have a limited profile.

Thinking more widely to the cross-over with net zero, as it’s essential these are addressed together rather than being considered as competing priorities, our evidence also strongly suggests that the public want to see action, and do not think current Government plans are enough. In April of this year, 54% of Britons said the country should do more in the fight against climate change, and only a quarter (25%) felt that the Government had a clear plan in place for how government, businesses, and people themselves are going to work together to tackle climate change. 

Public support for climate action tends to be underestimated by decision-makers. In 2024, Climate Barometer found that 49% of MPs underestimated public support for the UK’s plan to achieve Net Zero. The public also underestimates the extent to which others are concerned about climate change, and willing to take action. 

Public opinion on climate change and the actions to mitigate and adapt to it are complex, and, as with many policies, is often more positive in the abstract than in practice. However, there is clear evidence that the public expect the Government to act and to do more – this applies to adaptation as much as it does to transitioning to net zero. By leading the charge and engaging the public, Government can work with communities to build our resilience to climate change and as well as facilitating the net zero transition.