Climate Conversations

The Climate Conversations 2024 online questionnaire was open from May to September. The views and information collected from the Climate Conversations informs the Climate Action Plan 2025, the programme for the NDCA in 2025, government communications, and other sectoral policies. Almost 2,000 people responded to the questionnaire. Findings show 90% of respondents are worried about climate change (71% very and 19% somewhat worried), up a significant 3 points on the 2023 consultation’s findings. Concern is particularly highly among females (88%) and urban dwellers (86%) considering it an extremely/very important personal issue.

As in 2023, the three top contributors to a reduction in carbon emissions are seen to be: reducing flights, retrofitting and installing solar panels or wind turbines. More frequent use of public transport (instead of a car) follows closely and has seen a notable increase in nominations, followed by living car free and reducing food waste.

The community's interest signifies untapped potential for deeper climate engagement. The results indicate a readiness to get involved with climate action at a community level, albeit with some educational outreach required. With 60% community organization involvement overall, the integration and expansion of climate action roles could hold promise for further growth.

A full report with the findings of the 2024 Climate Conversations will be published in May 2025.

The Climate Conversations 2023 ran for 8 weeks from June to September. More than 4,000 people took part in the online survey. 12 workshops were held with groups who are vulnerable to the transition to carbon neutrality, or who are not yet taking part in the climate debate. 18 in-depth interviews were conducted with people across society who have taken on new and effective climate action projects.

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

More detailed findings are contained in the two reports below, which emphasise the focus from individual action to collective engagement. The Climate Conversations 2023 Report covers the full year of activities under the National Dialogue on Climate Action including two Stakeholder Forums, the National Youth Assembly on Climate and extensive stakeholder engagement. The Summary Report is a distilled version of the findings and how they can impact policy decisions. The findings from these reports have been used to help shape national policy through the Climate Action Plan 2024.

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.

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.