Toby Park
Director, Head of Climate, Energy & Sustainability
The UK’s journey to Net Zero is more than just an engineering or economic challenge – it’s a behavioural one. 62% of the emissions reductions needed to hit Net Zero depend directly on changes in the public’s behaviour. The key? Adoption of green technologies like heat pumps, electric vehicles, and smart home energy solutions, and lifestyle changes in the way we travel, eat, and waste. But while these technologies and behaviour changes promise a cleaner future, they often come with misconceptions and real cost, knowledge, convenience and accessibility barriers that stop people from making the switch.
BIT and Smart Energy GB’s new report shines a spotlight on how essential public engagement is for the Net Zero mission. It identifies 10 key areas to focus activity and action – grouped under our “4As” model of Awareness, Acceptance, Access and Adoption.
The report draws on a wide range of evidence, including a new survey of British consumers, expert insights from the climate, energy, and communications sectors, a review of existing literature, numerous past BIT projects on Net Zero behaviours and attitudes, and various case studies of previous government-led efforts to change behaviour. It presents the case for a large-scale, coordinated communications effort that shows people not just what to do, but how to do it, while building trust and dismantling myths along the way.
The benefits of Net Zero are there for all of us to grasp, but will only be realised if the public recognise them, want them, and act. We must bring them along on this critical journey.” – Ravi Gurumurthy, Group Chief Executive Officer – BIT / Nesta
We need one of the biggest consumer engagement campaigns we have ever seen – to inform and persuade people to make the changes we need to cure the climate crisis.” – Dan Brooke, Chief Executive Officer – Smart Energy GB
