WIREDGOV

Two-thirds of people support limiting air travel in order to address climate change, according to results from a YouGov poll commissioned by the new ESRC-funded Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST).

CAST was set up to examine the social and behavioural changes needed for a low-carbon and sustainable society and is led by scientists from Cardiff University.

It will explore ways in which people can act directly to reduce their own carbon emissions, as well as influence other people, organisational decisions, and policies.

New 'essential' centre

The centre has been praised by climate activist Greta Thunberg who, in a special recorded message, described CAST as ‘extremely important and essential’ to helping achieve the drastic changes in our lifestyles to combat the climate crisis. 

The £5m centre is a collaboration between Cardiff, Manchester, York and East Anglia universities, as well as the charity Climate Outreach.

Professor Jennifer Rubin, executive chair of the Economic and Social Research Council, yesterday said:

“This is a really important Centre to be funding because of its strong focus on developing and testing effective approaches to communicating climate change and its effects.

“Despite the urgent need to tackle climate change, researchers know that people rarely talk about it on a day-to-day basis – this means opportunities for meaningful dialogue and practical responses relevant to people’s everyday lives are missed.”

To coincide with the centre’s launch, new findings have been released from YouGov poll research carried out in August 2019 assessing the public perceptions of climate change in the UK.

Research highlights

A total of 2,018 people were surveyed, which revealed that the urgency of climate change was recognised by the majority of respondents.

• More than three out of five people (62%) said that addressing climate change requires a ‘high’ or ‘extremely high’ level of urgency.
• A majority (61%) supported the UK Parliament’s declaration of a ‘climate emergency’, with only 11% opposing this.
• Two-thirds of people (67%) felt that we should limit air travel in order to address climate change, whereas only 22% felt we do not need to do so.
• Just over half of the respondents (53%) were of the view that we should reduce the amount of meat in our diets to address climate change, whereas 37% felt we do not need to do so.

Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations yesterday said:

“The Centre will aim to put people at the heart of the transformations required to address climate change, and seek to find ways in which we can live better as well as in low-carbon and sustainable ways.

“Cardiff University, together with our partners in Manchester, East Anglia, and York Universities, and charity Climate Outreach, will be working with a range of private-, public- and third- sector partners to understand how to transform lifestyles, organisations and social structures in order to achieve a low-carbon future.”