More than half of the British public would install solar panels and home batteries to tackle climate change if there was greater assistance from the government, polling has found. While many have already made their home more energy efficient, 62% said they wanted to fit solar and a surprisingly high 60% would buy an energy storage device such as those sold by Tesla. An even greater number – 71% – would join a local energy scheme such as a community windfarm or solar panel collective, according to the YouGov survey. The results run counter to the government’s approach to climate change and energy, which favours large-scale power generation such as nuclear plants and offshore windfarms. Community energy projects have flatlined in the face of government subsidy cuts and tax changes, while incentives for household solar will expire next year without a replacement. There is no support for people considering a home battery. James Thornton, CEO of environmental law group ClientEarth, which commissioned the research, said: “Government policy is plainly at odds with public sentiment – and its own ambition to tackle climate change – as far as our energy sources are concerned.
Guardian 20th Aug 2018 read more »
The decision by environmental law outfit ClientEarth to today publish the results of a YouGov survey covering many of the areas downgraded by last week’s Public Attitudes Tracker (PAT) – plus many more besides – was fortuitously timed (or perhaps just good planning). It means despite the PAT having been scaled back, we can still take a temperature check of what the public thinks of the green economy during a scorching summer that has seen climate change pushed up the media agenda. ClientEarth’s wide-ranging poll took in responses from more than 2,000 UK adults in July, covering climate impacts, litigation, finance, renewables, and fossil fuels. The 35-page report includes a huge amount of details on attitudes to these issues and is certainly worth an hour of any green professionals’ time. Here are BusinessGreen’s five key takeaways. Climate change is seen as a real and present danger; Strong support for national and global climate action;
Business Green 20th Aug 2018 read more »
