Conclusions
We have found the battlegrounds and areas of agreement between business leaders, policymakers and the wider public. The next step is to apply what we have learned from our research to our actions, and use it to frame our positions in the online conversation.
The data reveals three main themes about how we talk about the issues that affect all of us. These themes may seem distinct at first, but they point towards a direction of travel for meaningful environmental change.
Moving Beyond Inaction
The conversation around climate change has evolved significantly in recent years, from a contentious topic to a common cause.
That is now reflected not only in the urgency of the phrases we use but also in a shift to focus on action.
People, organisations and governments are recognising the immediacy of the crisis we face, and are taking corresponding steps to mitigate their environmental impact.
Mirroring this, we see a shift in the discourse around carbon neutrality. Net zero is still the goal, and events of the past few years are perceived to have pushed that back, but we are seeing consensus build that to reach this, we must be even more ambitious; hence a shift in sentiment, and volume towards being carbon positive, taking action via carbon removal and focusing on the more rapid transition to renewable energy.
By moving from debate to action, the conversation around climate change is cause for encouragement and shows a conscious and more rapid drive towards securing a sustainable and resilient future. Time is the crucial element though. While the direction of travel is broadly positive and leads towards that more sustainable future, any delays in realising climate goals will see the real-world impacts of the climate crisis exacerbated.
While climate protests around fossil fuel and car usage have taken on high profile and disruptive measures in the 2020s, policymakers and business leaders around the world seem to be following a different approach, recognising that reaching net zero emissions requires a focus on creating new habits rather than breaking old ones.
Instead of taking an approach that overtly focuses on ending the use of fossil fuels, which may face resistance and backlash from various stakeholders, they are emphasising the positive aspects of clean energy in all its forms.
By shifting the conversation from ending fossil fuels to creating clean energy, policymakers are appealing to the values and interests of different groups and sectors, and are promoting a more optimistic and constructive vision of the net zero future.
Shaping New Habits, not Breaking Old Ones Top of the Agenda
Even in a Period of Economic Uncertainty, Now is the Time to Invest and Prepare
Even in a time of economic uncertainty, it is clear that governments and businesses are not only committed to preparing for, but investing in a cleaner future.
They are actively seeking to switch to renewable energy sources, and are recognising the opportunity it represents, in step with a public that is moving from debate and discussion, to direct action.
Businesses that simply tighten the purse strings in response to economic turbulence face being left behind, even out of public favour.
The Next Decade
In our original Decade That Matters report, published during the height of a global pandemic, we said that:
The takeaway here should be to remember the way in which COVID has dominated our conversations – in person and online – and help the environment do the same. The climate crisis must remain front of mind across news and social media, and the intensity of that discussion must not be allowed to drop.”
It has not dropped. The topic remains in the headlines, above the fold, in online public debate and towards the top of the agenda for influential policymakers and business leaders.
Crucially, though, it appears the date by which we expect to achieve ambitious targets has shifted. Few could have predicted the stress wrought by 2022, as a recovering global economy was hit by an energy crisis triggered by dramatic geopolitical events.
But while global economic and socio-economic crises have in some ways diverted our focus, there is recognition of an ever-worsening and underlying climate crisis that is sharpening our focus and demanding greater action.
Those who have a voice, be that online, in a government forum or a boardroom, recognise this. Even as coal makes a return, hopefully short-lived, we see a global acceleration towards cleaner forms of energy generation.
Humanity is realising this is an urgent situation, we are moving more rapidly towards renewables and the war in Ukraine has speeded this process up – REPowerEU in Europe and the IRA in the US are both major policies that reflect this. So there are reasons to conclude that those who can make a difference, and be seen to, are listening to the public discourse, and taking action that matters.
But timing is crucial. Speed is everything.
However, while we have accelerated our efforts, we are still not transitioning fast enough – any delay to the realisation of climate goals will mean the impact of the climate crisis grows ever larger. And while speeding up the renewable transition, the war in Ukraine has simultaneously extended our reliance on fossil fuels. Business leaders and policymakers alike express doubts about reaching crucial net zero goals in time. That means that both public and private sectors, while now acting, still need to move faster.
The climate crisis does not care about recessions, policies, borders or the speed at which humanity can change. This is the decade that matters – more so than ever before.