Frances Lasok is the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Newcastle Central and West. David Powell is an expert in climate polling and framing at the independent charity Climate Outreach.
We have a choice in how we talk about climate change and Net Zero in this election and beyond.
There is an economic narrative that’s built around core conservative values of responsibility, fairness, and, most critically for our economy, innovation. There’s another way that is ultimately dangerous and self-defeating, and that’s a route of over-polarisation and delay. It will leave Britain and our communities behind as our competitors take the lead in innovation. It will not win elections.
The evidence says voters want political action on climate change. New research from Climate Outreach, in association with More in Common, tells us that, when polled, most people think Net Zero will be good for the economy. They clamour for ambitious, meaningful policies on climate change. That’s true across the country and across income brackets.
The results from recent Mayoral elections bears out that there’s a silent majority who understand Net Zero is good for jobs, people and places. The only win for the Conservatives (Ben Houchen in Tees Valley) and the closest miss (Andy Street in the West Midlands) show that politicians who offer tangible, specific, economic action on climate change are popular with voters and can buck the trend.
The more tangible, specific, and positive we can be, the more people like it. That means offering positive choices: safe cycle routes, retrofit, investment in wind power, community energy, and the jobs and stability that will come from the next generation of technology. We need to lose the idea that Net Zero is about penalising the public, and design policies so they don’t hit people in the pocket at a time they can least afford it, and instead talk about the opportunities: for jobs, for lower energy bills.
There are three elements of our story on climate change: innovation; responsibility; and fairness.
Let’s start with innovation. As a small and highly-skilled island we’ve always punched above our weight and we have an opportunity to lead in innovation once again, and pioneer the technological solutions that can lead to a low-carbon world.
This is a compelling reason to act. In an era of stagnation, our Net Zero economy grew by 9 per cent in 2023 and the total GVA of businesses involved in the net zero economy now stands at £74 billion. We have three climate tech unicorns – Octopus, Zenobe, and Ovo Energy – and the potential for more, with world-leading potential in nascent technologies like cultivated meat, carbon markets, carbon removal, and marine energy generation.
Second, responsibility. For many years, we have heard that right-leaning audiences believe it’s the UK’s responsibility to protect and enhance the environment around us. We are a nation of animal lovers who care passionately about the preservation of our environment. ‘Protecting nature’ tops pretty much everyone’s list of reasons why we need to cut emissions. That’s because stewardship is a core British value: doing what’s right for the long term and acknowledging that we have a responsibility beyond our generation.
The third opportunity offered by Net Zero is fairness. Unlike many of our other high-performing sectors, green tech firms and jobs are found up and down the country. Renewable energy benefits from being on a hill or by the sea, and engineering and science benefit from being near a university, preferably one with a manufacturing heritage. That means that, unlike so many other sectors, there’s no north/south divide on climate tech and further developing the renewable energy sector in places like Tees Valley and Tyneside offer enormous economic opportunities across our country.
More broadly there is unique agreement across Britain that the transition to a Net Zero economy should be done fairly and those on lower incomes, who often have the lowest carbon footprints, should not be expected to do the heavy lifting. Get this wrong and we risk undermining support for Net Zero across the political spectrum. That’s why we should own a story that brings people with us, responding to people’s worries about change, while also seizing the employment and regeneration opportunity so the benefits of a Net Zero economy aren’t just felt by the richest places.
The world is facing the challenge of climate change and at the same time, an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment. The UK faces real economic challenges, which we don’t need to rehearse here, or the cost of living crisis in part caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine increasing the cost of oil.
There are moral reasons to protect our planet but hard-headed ones too: staying on the front foot on Net Zero and diversifying into renewables offers opportunities for Britain, from international comparative advantage to energy security. The climate story of the next five years should be about seizing the opportunity of Net Zero, whichever party is in power. That change is already underway, and is bringing jobs, healthier cities and innovation to the country – from Aberdeen to the Solent.
Recent history shows that people do not vote on negativity. They vote for the manifestos that offer a positive way forward, a future where tomorrow is better than today. An innovation-friendly Net Zero manifesto based on fairness, responsibility, and economic potential offers that. That vision is popular, and for good reason. A vision of Net Zero based on Britain’s leadership should be at the heart of the next election, for both parties.
Frances Lasok is the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Newcastle Central and West. David Powell is an expert in climate polling and framing at the independent charity Climate Outreach.
We have a choice in how we talk about climate change and Net Zero in this election and beyond.
There is an economic narrative that’s built around core conservative values of responsibility, fairness, and, most critically for our economy, innovation. There’s another way that is ultimately dangerous and self-defeating, and that’s a route of over-polarisation and delay. It will leave Britain and our communities behind as our competitors take the lead in innovation. It will not win elections.
The evidence says voters want political action on climate change. New research from Climate Outreach, in association with More in Common, tells us that, when polled, most people think Net Zero will be good for the economy. They clamour for ambitious, meaningful policies on climate change. That’s true across the country and across income brackets.
The results from recent Mayoral elections bears out that there’s a silent majority who understand Net Zero is good for jobs, people and places. The only win for the Conservatives (Ben Houchen in Tees Valley) and the closest miss (Andy Street in the West Midlands) show that politicians who offer tangible, specific, economic action on climate change are popular with voters and can buck the trend.
The more tangible, specific, and positive we can be, the more people like it. That means offering positive choices: safe cycle routes, retrofit, investment in wind power, community energy, and the jobs and stability that will come from the next generation of technology. We need to lose the idea that Net Zero is about penalising the public, and design policies so they don’t hit people in the pocket at a time they can least afford it, and instead talk about the opportunities: for jobs, for lower energy bills.
There are three elements of our story on climate change: innovation; responsibility; and fairness.
Let’s start with innovation. As a small and highly-skilled island we’ve always punched above our weight and we have an opportunity to lead in innovation once again, and pioneer the technological solutions that can lead to a low-carbon world.
This is a compelling reason to act. In an era of stagnation, our Net Zero economy grew by 9 per cent in 2023 and the total GVA of businesses involved in the net zero economy now stands at £74 billion. We have three climate tech unicorns – Octopus, Zenobe, and Ovo Energy – and the potential for more, with world-leading potential in nascent technologies like cultivated meat, carbon markets, carbon removal, and marine energy generation.
Second, responsibility. For many years, we have heard that right-leaning audiences believe it’s the UK’s responsibility to protect and enhance the environment around us. We are a nation of animal lovers who care passionately about the preservation of our environment. ‘Protecting nature’ tops pretty much everyone’s list of reasons why we need to cut emissions. That’s because stewardship is a core British value: doing what’s right for the long term and acknowledging that we have a responsibility beyond our generation.
The third opportunity offered by Net Zero is fairness. Unlike many of our other high-performing sectors, green tech firms and jobs are found up and down the country. Renewable energy benefits from being on a hill or by the sea, and engineering and science benefit from being near a university, preferably one with a manufacturing heritage. That means that, unlike so many other sectors, there’s no north/south divide on climate tech and further developing the renewable energy sector in places like Tees Valley and Tyneside offer enormous economic opportunities across our country.
More broadly there is unique agreement across Britain that the transition to a Net Zero economy should be done fairly and those on lower incomes, who often have the lowest carbon footprints, should not be expected to do the heavy lifting. Get this wrong and we risk undermining support for Net Zero across the political spectrum. That’s why we should own a story that brings people with us, responding to people’s worries about change, while also seizing the employment and regeneration opportunity so the benefits of a Net Zero economy aren’t just felt by the richest places.
The world is facing the challenge of climate change and at the same time, an increasingly unstable geopolitical environment. The UK faces real economic challenges, which we don’t need to rehearse here, or the cost of living crisis in part caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine increasing the cost of oil.
There are moral reasons to protect our planet but hard-headed ones too: staying on the front foot on Net Zero and diversifying into renewables offers opportunities for Britain, from international comparative advantage to energy security. The climate story of the next five years should be about seizing the opportunity of Net Zero, whichever party is in power. That change is already underway, and is bringing jobs, healthier cities and innovation to the country – from Aberdeen to the Solent.
Recent history shows that people do not vote on negativity. They vote for the manifestos that offer a positive way forward, a future where tomorrow is better than today. An innovation-friendly Net Zero manifesto based on fairness, responsibility, and economic potential offers that. That vision is popular, and for good reason. A vision of Net Zero based on Britain’s leadership should be at the heart of the next election, for both parties.