Recommendation 3

HM Government Not Addressed

The Public Engagement Strategy should include details of how the Government will work to engage all segments of the public, including those who are no longer in formal education, or those who are disengaged. This should be published as soon as possible, but, at the very latest alongside the long-awaited Net Zero Strategy. (Paragraph 22) 19. Climate Assembly UK has proved that deliberative engagement is important for both building consensus and maintaining public trust in the net zero transition and will facilitate the behavioural change required to underpin a successful transition to net zero. We recommend that the Government, in its Net Zero Strategy, sets out its plans for deliberative engagement on net zero policies through citizens assemblies, citizens juries and other methods. (Paragraph 31) 20. As we deliver on the UK’s net zero target, there will need to be increasing information and citizenship involvement around climate change and net zero. Public engagement can help build awareness, acceptability, and uptake of sustainable technologies and approaches over the long term and can also help improve the effectiveness of policies. We plan to set out our public engagement approach in our Net Zero Strategy. 21. Findings from the Assembly form an important addition to the Government’s evidence base on assessing the UK public’s understanding, attitudes and perceptions around net zero. This evidence base is being used in several ways, including to inform development of the Net Zero Strategy, the Heat and Buildings Strategy and the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, as well as to inform the development of public engagement approaches. 22. Government continues to build its activity on public engagement on net zero, both in communicating the challenge, and giving people a say in shaping future policies. This is an important part of our work. On communicating the challenge, our revitalised domestic climate campaign, ‘Together for Our Planet’, aims to engage the whole country in the conversation around climate change in the run up to the COP26 summit. It will raise awareness of climate issues and lay foundations for supporting sustainable behaviours long-term by driving awareness, building credibility and creating a launchpad for a powerful legacy campaign. 23. We will work closely with young people, schools, civil society groups, businesses and people across the UK to unite a broad spectrum of voices as part of our conversation on tackling climate change, creating momentum and engaging a diverse audience—including those who are harder to reach. 24. Our 26 One Step Greener champions will also show how taking one step can have a positive impact on the environment, encouraging the general public to also do their bit, however large or small. We will work across government and with our commercial partners to encourage and promote the One Step Greener initiative—creating a mass movement of green steps across the country in the lead up to COP26.