New Report Shows Shifting Mindsets In London

A new report has been published exploring the mindsets of Londoners when it comes to our climate crisis. ⁣

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Climate change is the large-scale, long-term shift that we are seeing in the planet's weather patterns and average temperatures, and it has been driven by human activity that has released carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air. In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published their report on reaching the 1.5°C aspiration set out in the Paris Agreement; that report highlighted for the first time the significant increase in damage to health, the environment and the economy of holding global temperatures below 2°C, instead of below 1.5°C.⁣

 In the UK, this was followed by the publication of the Committee on Climate Change’s report on, ‘Net Zero – the UK’s contribution to stopping global warming’, and in June 2019 the Government legislated to increase the national target for emissions reductions from 80% to net zero emissions by 2050. At the same time, we have seen significant levels of public concern and activism around this issue, including by groups such as Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion. In December 2020, the Committee published it's recommendations for the sixth carbon budget, and Government announced that it would target a 68% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030, as a new ambitious milestone to its 2050 net zero target.⁣

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Polling by London Councils in October 2020 showed that Londoners are concerned about, impacted by and motivated to take action on climate change:⁣

* 82% of Londoners are concerned about climate change, with 40% describing themselves as very concerned⁣
* 57% of Londoners say their level of concern about climate change has increased in the last 12 months⁣
* 87% of Londoners are motivated to help prevent climate change⁣
* 59% of Londoners said climate change affects their decision making⁣
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