There is strong and well-established evidence that the costs of not acting on climate change far outweigh the costs of transitioning to net zero. Furthermore, the impacts of climate change will certainly be unfair: the poorest and most marginalised groups in society often face higher exposure to climate impacts.
Sam Hampton, Acting Energy Programme Deputy Lead, at the Environmental Change Institute, (ECI) at Oxford University, has contributed to a myth-busting series, which is designed to ‘deepen understanding of climate change action among current and prospective decision-makers, the policy community and the public in the UK in the run-up to the 2024 General Election’.
Dr Hampton said:
As the effects of climate change are beginning to be seen around the world, including the UK, we’re seeing more responses from government in the form of policies and targets. Research evidence shows that the public are very concerned about climate change and want to see governments respond, but we’re also seeing climate policy becoming increasingly political.
It is likely to be a key topic over which political leaders will position themselves to try to win votes in the run up to the next General Election. In this article we present evidence showing that politicians who are able to develop climate policies which prioritise fairness, and are seen to be inclusive, will have most success.”
Read the full Explainer, produced for a project involving the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and Imperial College London Grantham Institutes.