Despite what some parties want you to believe, most people in the UK do support climate action.
A new report from the IPPR, Apathy and opposition: Understanding the real threats to net zero, repeats a message we’ve heard from plenty of other studies. Most people do support climate action, despite the rhetoric and denialism polluting the political discourse.
The IPPR highlights two core threats to action. The first comes from mainstream politicians giving way to the extremes. At the least, that can be greenhushing. At worst, uncritical regurgitation of talking points devised by the fossil fuel lobby. Conceding ground to the loudest voices on the right isn’t limited to climate, of course.
The second threat comes from falling interest in climate as a political issue. That’s partly due to more immediately pressing concerns about the cost of living and general economic hardship. Exaggerated claims about the cost of decarbonisation can easily cut through to people who are more worried about paying this month’s bills. Alongside that, there’s the increasing (and often justified) scepticism that government can actually deliver any meaningful action, even if you agree with the aims.
Both of those contribute to a general sense that the progress-blockers are winning the argument. According to the IPPR report, there were more UK newspaper editorials in 2025 opposing climate action than supporting it. That’s a huge reversal from previous years.
But that’s also part of the bullshit. As shown above, negativity in the news media is 260 per cent higher than among the general public, where 62% still support climate action and barely a quarter are in opposition. As you might guess, right-leaning men over 60 are most likely to be anti net zero.
Change the message
The term “net zero” may now be part of the problem. Most of the right-wing media use the term as a bogeyman with no reference to climate change, and public surveys show poor understanding of what it actually means.
It doesn’t help that net zero literally means nothing. It’s just two short words, but it still sounds like technocratic jargon. It’s very easy to misunderstand as meaning that all emissions have to cease. Even among supporters, it’s often portrayed as the goal at the end of the road, not a milestone on the journey to restabilising the global climate.
I agree with IPPR’s proposals that politicians should focus their messages on the visible costs of a changing climate. Talk about the extreme weather events which devastate homes, harvests and treasured landscapes, and drive inflation by increasing insurance costs. Talk about why extreme weather is happening more often.
And, now more than ever, talk about the economic insecurity caused by our continuing reliance on fossil fuels. As the Climate Change Committee recently set out, achieving net zero emissions by 2050 will cost less than a single fossil fuel crisis like the one we suffered in 2022, let alone the omnishambles now playing out in the Persian Gulf.
Apathy and opposition focuses on political messaging and strategy, but business leaders also have an important role to play. As I noted last year when discussing the 89 Percent Project, 97% of senior executives at large and mid-sized companies support the global transition away from fossil fuels.
Smaller businesses which are taking action to reduce their emissions, or are providing the innovative products and services to help others tackle the challenge, also need to speak up. And we need to make our case with the right mix of relatable story-telling and hard facts. We need to show that doing the right thing on climate is more achievable, popular and rewarding than it’s portrayed by those who seek to stymie meaningful action.
We need to tell better stories than the progress-blocking bullshitters.