4: The cost and fairness of tackling climate change - Climate Outreach

The report examines how people in Britain perceive the financial impact of climate policies, noting that while many fear costs, few believe scrapping these policies would save them money. It highlights a strong public desire for a 'just transition' where the least well-off are protected and big polluting companies are held accountable. The findings suggest that framing climate action as an investment in a prosperous future is more compelling than technical terminology.

• Most people in England, Scotland, and Wales do not believe that abandoning climate change plans would result in financial savings; instead, they are more likely to believe it would cost them money.
• There is a widespread belief across income groups that climate policies will increase personal costs, although this belief is less common among those with lower incomes. In Scotland, lower-income individuals are less likely to view the transition to renewables positively.
• Public support for climate policies decreases when the policies are described as "costly" or "expensive," a vulnerability that is exploited by some politicians and commentators.
• While a majority of people in England, Scotland, and Wales support short-term bill increases to achieve a 100% clean energy target, support is lower among those who are less financially comfortable.
• Messaging that frames the transition to clean energy as an investment in a better, more prosperous future is more effective than using technical terms like "just transition" or "green growth". Specifically, 72% found a vision of a "more prosperous society" compelling, compared to 58% for "just transition".
• The public generally views the energy transition as neither fair nor unfair, though they are nearly twice as likely to see it as fair than unfair. However, there is significant anger toward big companies for polluting and for making extraordinary profits while consumers face rising costs.
• There is strong public support for government action against polluting businesses and the taxation of extraordinary profits from oil and gas companies; only 17% believe such a tax "goes too far".

APA

Climate Outreach (2025). 4: The cost and fairness of tackling climate change - Climate Outreach. https://climateoutreach.org/btc/2025/report/chapter-4/

Chicago

Climate Outreach. 4: The cost and fairness of tackling climate change - Climate Outreach. 2025. https://climateoutreach.org/btc/2025/report/chapter-4/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Outreach |title=4: The cost and fairness of tackling climate change - Climate Outreach |date=14 August 2025 |url=https://climateoutreach.org/btc/2025/report/chapter-4/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateoutreach2025cost, author = {{Climate Outreach}}, title = {{4: The cost and fairness of tackling climate change - Climate Outreach}}, institution = {Climate Outreach}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://climateoutreach.org/btc/2025/report/chapter-4/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }