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Climate Conversations
From Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications
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The Climate Conversations 2023 ran for eight weeks from June-September. More than 4,000 people took part in the online survey. We also held 12 workshops with groups who are vulnerable to the transition to carbon neutrality, or who are not yet taking part in the climate debate. We did 18 in-depth interviews with people across society who have taken on new and effective climate action projects.
On 26 October 2023, the National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA) team held a webinar where the initial results of this year’s Climate Conversations (CC23) were presented by Ipsos. The findings suggest that:
- Awareness of climate change is high, most participants view it as important and are worried about it, but also feel that it is happening somewhere else, to someone else, and lies in the future
- Many feel that taking individual climate action is for people with money living in urban centres
- The language used in discussions on climate is too complex and needs to be made clearer
- People need help in making specific plans to take climate action and these plans are different for different sectors and different populations
- Engaging communities and networks is the most effective way to support people more broadly in taking climate action
A recording of the webinar is available at this link. You can also download a copy of the presentation here.
In 2022, we built on the insight from 2021 and delivered a more ambitious annual Climate Conversations programme. We captured the views of over 4,300 people in our public consultation and engaged people from diverse backgrounds who are vulnerable to the transition to carbon neutrality in rich discussions on climate action through a series of workshops and focus groups across the country.
We heard that people are worried about climate change, that they are taking action, and want to do more. We heard that people want to continue to work with government at all levels in realising our ambition of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, they want to act fast, and they believe that everyone has a role to play.
These insights and calls to action are reflected in the Climate Action Plan 2023 and presented in the accompanying Climate Conversations 2022 Report. We have also published a summary report as well as a detailed stakeholder report highlighting insights gained from focus groups, Public Partnership Networks and in-depth expert interviews.
Climate Conversations 2022 - Stakeholder Engagement Report
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In 2021, we held a series of Climate Conversations, capturing the views of over 3,800 members of the public, stakeholders, and the community and voluntary sector.
We found the voice of a public who are responsive to this crisis and feel a sense of urgency around climate. It demonstrated an enthusiasm to work with the government, agencies, and organisations across society. It identified areas where people are already making changes and where individuals and communities feel they lack information and knowledge, resources, or the capacity to pursue these changes. And we heard a clear request of government for ‘joined up thinking’ and ‘ambitious policies’ where people live. These insights informed the development of the new NDCA and the Climate Action Plan 2021.
Presentation: Launch of Climate Conversations Report, NDCA and Climate Action Fund
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