Public want more Government leadership on climate change

A new poll released today by Christian Aid reveals the extent of the British public’s concern about climate change, with a majority saying the Government needs to show more leadership in tackling global warming.

The You Gov survey, released ahead of World Environment Day on June 5, shows that three in five (59 per cent) UK adults say they are worried about the effects of climate change and 77 per cent think the Government ought to do more to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions.

Even many of those who said they were "not very worried" about climate change were among the 90 per cent who said they have taken steps to reduce their own emissions.

Ahead of this week’s European and local elections, more than half the UK population (57 per cent) said that a political party’s climate policies would influence the way they vote.

As UN negotiators meet in Bonn, Germany this week for the latest round of climate change talks ahead of the UN summit in Copenhagen in December, 70 per cent of the public want to see the UK Government taking a leading role in international climate change negotiations.

At the Copenhagen talks, the international community must agree a new carbon capping climate deal to come into force when the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends in 2012.

Christian Aid is campaigning on climate change to highlight the plight of millions of poor people in developing countries for whom it says extreme weather conditions are now a matter of life or death.

Paul Brannen, head of campaigns at Christian Aid said: "The public are sending Gordon Brown a clear message; step up your leadership on climate change.

"The majority of voters want the UK Government to take a lead in the vital international climate change talks in Copenhagen this year and to meet this demand the Prime Minister must personally lead the UK delegation."

Three quarters (75 per cent) of the public who believe the Government ought to do more want public money used to reduce carbon emissions by investing in renewable energy, closely followed by better and cheaper public transport (73 per cent).

Sixty per cent want to see increased grants to pay for solar panels, wind turbines and insulation in their homes, 53 per cent feel investment in electric and hybrid cars would help the motor industry clean up its act and 52 per cent want to see companies that pollute the most pay higher taxes.

The poll revealed that people are already changing their own habits. Even at a time of financial crisis only 10 per cent of those surveyed said they had done nothing to reduce their own carbon emissions.

Three quarters (75 per cent) of consumers have switched to energy efficient light bulbs and 70 per cent do not leave electrical items on standby, while more than half (57 per cent) no longer heat rooms at home unnecessarily and 42 per cent tumble dry less. Lifestyle changes have also extended to transport, with 36 per cent of respondents using the car less and 19 per cent taking fewer flights.

Christian Aid is asking members of the public to show their support for tackling climate change by taking its Copenhagen pledge at www.christianaid.org.uk/copenhagen

In signing the pledge, individuals commit to campaigning for a fair and just deal in Copenhagen, lobbying the richest countries to repay their carbon debt, and doing all they can to reduce their own carbon footprint and to encourage friends and family to campaign on climate change.