Abstract
In June 2019, the UK Government legislated for a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The urgency of the climate emergency has since burgeoned, with natural disaster events around the globe - from the extreme flooding in the North of England to the bush fires in Australia - raising public awareness and the likes of Greta Thunberg, Sir David Attenborough and Extinction Rebellion helping to drive universal action on climate change up the political agenda.
Immediate attention shifted in 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the economy and society plunged into crisis. But the outbreak has also served as a catalyst to focus minds on a clean energy future, and the Prime Minister has pledged to ‘build back better’ with green energy initiatives coming to the fore. A £160 million post-pandemic plan for green growth1 was announced by Boris Johnson in November 2020, which will create “hundreds of thousands of jobs” within the next decade. It is the first stage of The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. This plan offers a range of solutions to address current climate issues including transport, nature restoration and renewable energy, with the move to boost hydrogen production being central to the proposal.
Mindful of these developments, the purpose of this report is to capture current public attitudes around the shift to greener energy sources and what the economic and environmental priorities and opportunities are for post-pandemic recovery.
Immediate attention shifted in 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the economy and society plunged into crisis. But the outbreak has also served as a catalyst to focus minds on a clean energy future, and the Prime Minister has pledged to ‘build back better’ with green energy initiatives coming to the fore. A £160 million post-pandemic plan for green growth1 was announced by Boris Johnson in November 2020, which will create “hundreds of thousands of jobs” within the next decade. It is the first stage of The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution. This plan offers a range of solutions to address current climate issues including transport, nature restoration and renewable energy, with the move to boost hydrogen production being central to the proposal.
Mindful of these developments, the purpose of this report is to capture current public attitudes around the shift to greener energy sources and what the economic and environmental priorities and opportunities are for post-pandemic recovery.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Northern Gas Networks, Teesside University and YouGov |
| Commissioning body | Northern Gas Networks |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Mar 2021 |