Why the UK needs a national communications strategy around climate change

Britain stands at a critical juncture in its journey to tackle the climate crisis. We have the technologies needed, the government has been doing detailed work creating policy and regulation to apply them, and public concern is high across all demographics. However, there’s a glaring gap: the government lacks a coherent communications strategy to ensure its policies are accepted by the public.

When the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee recently asked for views on climate communication, our response was simple: the current approach isn’t working. Beyond occasional political statements and election-time promises, there’s been a lack of clear, accessible public information about the energy transition.

At the Centre for Sustainable Energy, we see a major gap in public engagement. Beyond a few political soundbites and manifesto pledges, the public has received almost no accessible information about the benefits of the energy transition. Apart from announcing GB Energy, the government has launched no significant communications campaigns explaining why we need these energy system changes, in spite of the widespread climate concern across all segments of society. This is an issue because of the radical changes now needed, many of which are already on the way, to meet our emission reduction promises. 

When government messaging actually lands  

The frustrating thing is that when there has been clear government leadership and positive messaging such as on the clean energy plan and the benefits of renewable energy for energy security and cost reduction, these messages, combined with the recent energy price crisis, have resonated with the public. This has helped to establish a broad public narrative that moving away from fossil fuels will enhance the UK’s overall energy security. We’ve heard this narrative directly and repeatedly from people across the country. 

Building public consent for the changes ahead

Given the scale and pace of change now required to achieve our emission reduction commitments —and the fact that many of the easy wins (such as phasing out electricity generation from coal) have already been secured—it’s vital that the government develops a comprehensive strategy to build informed public consent for the more difficult changes ahead.  

It’s important to understand that the barriers are not primarily technological; all the technologies needed are already available. Instead, it is people who will ultimately determine the speed of change, as well as the development of effective markets and regulatory frameworks that build trust and drive adoption.

Behavioural change is essential to success

To ensure the net zero transition happens, we need better public understanding and acceptance of the changes, costs and opportunities ahead. We need people to make different choices in what they buy, how they travel, and how they heat their homes.

While the government is developing detailed plans for our zero-carbon energy system, it has failed to create a comprehensive communications strategy to bring the public along with them. As an example, despite advanced plans to make heat pumps and heat networks the default option for home heating, a majority of people have no clear understanding of these technologies or the opportunities they provide. Without accessible information explaining what these changes mean for ordinary households, how can we expect public support?

A proactive strategy is needed 

A government-sponsored heat pump campaign has just been released, but we suspect it’s mainly to counter an already well-established media campaign undermining the adoption of heat pumps. Instead of ad hoc and late approaches to limit damage, we need a proactive strategy linked to the government’s agenda and the public’s concerns about the climate crisis.  

District heating (which involves piping heat from a central source to multiple buildings) makes sense in our cities, and detailed planning is already underway to make this, alongside heat pumps, the default option for heating homes in the future. However, asking people to abandon the familiar gas boilers in their homes for heat from a centralised source that they don’t understand is a big challenge. 

Without proper explanation and engagement, we risk another backlash like the one we’ve seen with heat pumps. The government has updated regulations but created no parallel strategy to help people understand what heat networks are or why connecting to one would benefit them or the environment. 

By remaining largely silent, the government has created a vacuum that misinformation quickly fills. This has allowed harmful myths to take root, such as the false claim that Britain cannot afford the energy transition. In reality, we cannot afford to delay, and the net zero transition is the economic opportunity of the 21st century. The longer we wait, the more expensive and disruptive the necessary changes will become and the less the UK will capture the economic opportunities available. 

What needs to happen next 

The government should urgently develop a national communications strategy that connects with people’s everyday concerns while building support for necessary changes. This strategy should:   

• Explain what the carbon transition means for people, their homes, communities and jobs, and for industry. 

• Build trust through transparent messaging about both the benefits and challenges. 

• Combat misinformation by promoting positive, solution-focused messaging and campaigns that prompt action. 

• Create consistent messaging across government initiatives including the Warm Homes Plan and the Local Power Plan. 

Climate action requires public support. Without a comprehensive communications approach that engages people in this shared mission, even the best policies risk falling short. The time for clear, candid and inspiring government leadership on climate communication is now.