Just 1% of British public think Cop28 will result in climate action – poll

Just 1% of the British public are certain that commitments made at Cop28 will result in climate action, a new poll suggests.

The PA exclusive research, conducted by Ipsos, saw more than 1,000 people surveyed on their opinions of upcoming the UN climate conference, which will be held in Dubai from November 30.

The results suggest that the vast majority of British public have little confidence in Cop28 and its outcomes.

Asked whether they believe commitments made at Cop28 will result in action, just 1% said it is certain to, followed by 4% who said they believe it is very likely.

Overall just 17% of respondents gave a more optimistic answer to the question, compared to 47% who believe action is unlikely.

The research also suggests little confidence that Britain would keep to any commitments agreed at Cop28, with just 5% saying they are very optimistic.

On average, 23% gave an answer suggesting a degree of optimism compared to 38% who responded pessimistically.

The figures are similar when it comes to whether people are confident that action taken from Cop28 commitments would have a real impact on climate change – with 28% feeling confident compared to 55% who do not.

Finally, just 19% of respondents said they believe previous Cops have resulted in positive global action, compared to 34% who do not.

A similar picture could be seen in terms of Britons believing that commitments made at previous Cops have been implemented, with 17% agreeing that they have, compared to 37% who disagree.

It terms of engagement, only a third of respondents said they will follow the news around Cop28 closely (32%) this year compared to 61% who said they will not follow it closely.

However, 53% of survey respondents said they do follow stories about climate change in general.

Rachel Brisley, head of energy and environment at Ipsos Public Affairs, said: “While Cop28 provides a milestone opportunity for the world to take stock of progress on the Paris agreement to reduce emissions, only a third of the British public are likely to follow news about the event.

“This lack of interest is coupled with a concerning lack of belief that Cop28, or indeed previous Cops, will lead to positive global action.

“However, given that half of the public follow stories are following stories about climate change closely, there’s an opportunity for the Prime Minister to use this year’s conference to make a clear statement about the value such global initiatives stand to bring to everyday Britons’ experience of the changing climate.”

Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said: “No major economy has cut emissions faster than the UK.

“We’re proud that we’ve overdelivered on every target to cut our emissions to date.

“However, tackling climate change is a global challenge as the UK only accounts for 1% of worldwide emissions.

“I look forward to representing the UK at Cop28, where we will be working to get more progress around the world on green finance, forests, and clean energy.

“In the UK we have more ambitious climate change targets than our peers and we will be using what we have learnt to help others on our shared path to net zero.”