Onward Logo Colour White 2021

How can cities policy help the net zero agenda?

Smart Thinking

Alex Luke, co-author of Onward’s latest research Thin Ice?, wrote for Smart Thinking about how cities policy can help the net zero agenda. He writes:

“Reaching net zero within these two sectors will require the rapid uptake of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps to transition away from petrol and diesel cars and gas boilers. But a recent Onward paper, ‘Green Shoots’, showed that the rollout of these new green technologies is not occurring at anywhere near the scale required. The rollout of heat pumps, for example, will not be completed until 2187 on the current trajectory.

It is with these new green technologies that cities can have the greatest role to play. A landmark new polling report from Onward, ‘Thin Ice?’ found that support for net zero policies tends to be particularly concentrated in the UK’s major city regions. It is in these areas that consumers are most willing to foot the bill to tackle climate change, by stumping up for high-grade insulation or paying more in taxes to fund more electric vehicles.”

You can read the full article here.

 

REPORT
Thin Ice? Public support for new net zero policies

Understanding public support for tackling climate change and attitudes towards new net zero policies