By Abbas Nazil
Clearer, locally focused climate messaging and collective action are needed to convince people in the UK to respond to worsening climate risks, experts have said, as extreme heat, wildfires, drought and water shortages become increasingly visible.
The call comes after a summer marked by heatwaves, wildfires, excess deaths, hosepipe restrictions and school closures, giving policymakers and climate experts a growing opportunity to engage the public on how the country can better prepare for future climate impacts.
Experts said declining trust in political institutions could make it harder for national climate warnings and policies to gain public support unless authorities clearly demonstrate how climate risks affect people’s everyday lives.
Simon Stiell, the UN’s head of climate, said climate change should not be treated as a partisan issue because its consequences cut across political differences and affect health, community safety, food, water, jobs, businesses and household finances.
He said climate action involved both reducing emissions that drive global warming and adapting to the impacts that can no longer be avoided.
However, research by Climate Outreach, a charity specialising in climate communication, found that many people in the UK do not clearly distinguish between climate mitigation and adaptation.
Chris Pollard, a senior researcher at Climate Outreach, said people often discuss the two forms of climate action interchangeably, while only about half of those involved in the research understood the meaning of climate adaptation.
The issue was highlighted by the mixed public reaction to a government severe wildfire-risk alert issued in August.
While some people criticised the warning as excessive government intervention, others argued that authorities should concentrate more heavily on reducing emissions from the energy system.
Experts said the challenge now extends beyond simply explaining climate terminology to ensuring that people understand what action is effective and how they can participate.
Rowena Hill, a professor of resilience, emergencies and disaster science at Nottingham Trent University, said people want to know what measures work and how they can contribute.
She also warned against placing too much responsibility on individuals when major climate-related problems are influenced by inadequate infrastructure and government decisions.
The concern was illustrated by the government’s £75m Let’s Save Water campaign, which encouraged people to reduce their daily water consumption by 28 litres.
The campaign prompted questions about whether consumers were being asked to shoulder too much responsibility when ageing infrastructure and insufficient investment are major contributors to water losses.
Hill said climate messaging needed to move away from simply telling individuals that they were responsible and instead emphasise shared responsibility between citizens, communities, institutions and government.
Trust was identified as another major factor affecting the effectiveness of climate communication.
Research cited in the analysis indicated low confidence in political institutions, while more than a third of Britons surveyed by Ipsos during the summer said the Labour government had performed badly in dealing with the climate crisis since taking office in July 2024.
Experts said climate warnings were more likely to resonate when they were connected to people’s immediate surroundings and experiences rather than presented as distant, large-scale environmental threats.
Hill said communities needed to understand the risks affecting their own areas and recognise the value of their local environment and how people interact with it.
The public reaction to the destruction of the Sycamore Gap tree was cited as an example of the strong emotional connection people can have with their immediate environment.
Climate Outreach uses research by More in Common to identify differences in values among seven segments of the British population and develop climate messages capable of reaching people across those groups.
Pollard said effective communication should concentrate on issues that cross political and cultural divisions while avoiding messages that could alienate sections of the public.
Greener Henley, a climate and nature-focused charity, has adopted this approach by using research into its local community to encourage residents to commit to practical climate actions relevant to their daily lives.
The organisation is also working with schools to implement government-recommended climate action plans, including measures to keep classrooms cooler during hot weather and improve protection against flooding.
Kate Oldridge, the charity’s executive director, said community-based action could demonstrate to policymakers that local people were capable of delivering meaningful climate responses.
She added that collective participation could also give volunteers a sense of hope and purpose by allowing them to respond directly to climate problems rather than feeling powerless in the face of them.
Experts said such approaches could help strengthen public trust, encourage practical action and create broader support for policies aimed at both reducing emissions and preparing communities for the impacts of a changing climate.
