Last week saw the release of three university-led nationally representative surveys on public attitudes towards climate change – two in the US (1, 2) and one in the UK. In line with previous surveys from the last few years, the UK poll shows four consistent findings: A large majority of people think the climate isRead more
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Pickles’ ‘big society’ recycling scheme is a nudge in the wrong direction
On the Guardian’s Comment is Free, the Communities Minister Eric Pickles has made some bold claims about ‘human nature’ in introducing the coalition’s household recycling policy. Under the new policy, householders will be rewarded for recycling with points that can be cashed in at ‘local businesses’ such as Marks and Spencer and Cineworld. Bravely summarisingRead more
Why fishermen believe in climate change (and everyone else believes in overfishing) 8
How much of what is recorded as scepticism about the scientific reality of climate change is simply a desire for it not to be true – or at the very least, for it not to be as bad as the scientists and politicians say? This is a question that cannot easily be answered. When peopleRead more
Do you believe in climate change? 2
It is an increasingly familiar formula – a climate poll is released, the results are interpreted and analysed, and both sides claim victory. The initial analyses are inevitably the ones that scream ‘controversy’, while more considered accounts emerge at a later date. But while the polls may tell us something about public opinion, what doRead more
TINA rides again… geoengineering vs. mitigation?
A recent report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) ((http://www.imeche.org/about/keythemes/environment/Climate Change/MAG)) boldly declared that the UK had already failed in its quest to prevent dangerous climate change: “With only four decades to go, the UK is already losing the climate change mitigation battle. The greenhouse gas emission targets set by the Government require a rateRead more
Money, money, money?
A recent report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) asked what it would take for action on climate change to be ‘mainstreamed’[1]. The IPPR conducted research with ‘Now’ people – perceived as leaders of public opinion and a supposed barometer for the acceptability of behavioural norms. A key conclusion was that for theseRead more
