United Kingdom
Principles on how the government will engage the public and support them to make green choices
Summary
The UK Government wants to encourage the public in making green choices in a way that supports choice and maintains freedoms. The goal is to make the act of choosing green significantly easier, clearer, and cheaper. We recognise that the best way to do this is by working closely with partners like local authorities, voluntary sector organisations, social enterprises, regulators, and businesses, who all play an important role in how we use and choose different services and products.
The Net Zero Strategy set out six clear principles on how the government will engage the public and support them to make green choices. These are:
1. Minimise the ‘ask’ by sending clear regulatory signals;
2. Make the green choice the easiest;
3. Make the green choice affordable;
4. Empower people and businesses to make their own choice;
5. Motivate & build public acceptability for major changes; and
6. Present a clear vision of how we will get to net zero and what the role of people and business will be.
Detail
Examples of the six principles:
1. Minimise the ‘ask’ by sending clear regulatory signals;
Example - The Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate will implement electric vehicles targets for manufacturers from 2024, requiring 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing to 100% by 2035.
2. Make the green choice the easiest;
Example - A key funding commitment from the Net Zero Strategy to assist with making the green choice the easiest is to support charging Electric Vehicles with £1.6 billion to support charging infrastructure: £500m to support local chargepoint provision; £950m to support rapid charging on motorways and major A-roads, and funding for chargepoints in homes and businesses.
3. Make the green choice affordable;
Example - A key funding commitment from the Net Zero Strategy to help make the green choice affordable is a new £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme providing £7500 capital grants and a new market-based incentive for heating system manufacturers, whilst investing £60 million in heat pump innovation.
4. Empower people and businesses to make their own choice;
Example - In July 2022, the UK government launched a digital support website on Gov.uk in July 2022, titled 'Find Ways to Save Energy in Your Home.' This website serves as a valuable resource for homeowners, providing them with the necessary information to make well-informed decisions regarding the energy efficiency of their homes, offering personalised recommendations for home improvements.
5. Motivate & build public acceptability for major changes;
Example - Since 2019, the UK government has run, funded, or are still running deliberative dialogues on a range of net zero issues, such as green choices, homes, heating, transport decarbonisation, green savings, hydrogen, food, Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) and Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANT)
6. Present a clear vision of how we will get to net zero and what the role of people and business will be.
Example - In the lead up to COP26, we launched the Together for our Planet campaign. The campaign demonstrated that taking a single step can have a positive impact on the environment, using the inspiring stories of 26 One Step Greener Ambassadors who are playing their part for the planet - be it by walking to work, repairing their clothes, or reducing their food waste - to encourage others to join them.
Further information
Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener - GOV.UK
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy
Contact DESNZ- GOV.UK
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/contact-desnz