The policies required to meet net zero targets will need action much more directly from people, and not solely by the government and businesses. This means that the changes needed will be much more visible in people’s everyday consumption choices, whether that’s how they travel, heat their homes, choose what to buy or eat. This will require complex and, in some cases, costly changes and the right type of support.
To understand the issues facing consumers and identify the priority policy actions that are now needed to support them, Which? undertook a survey of over 3000 people around the UK, representative of the UK population and nations, and hosted a series of expert roundtables to explore some of the barriers facing consumers when making lower impact choices.
Our consumer research has found that most people understand the urgent need to act to tackle climate change and many people are already taking action to be more sustainable. However, these actions aren’t yet on the scale of what is needed – there’s a mismatch between what most people think will have the most impact and the changes experts think are most needed. People are looking to government to do much more to support them.
