What do the UK public think about policies that can deliver for climate and health?

Authors: Dr Neil Jennings, Dr Pauline Paterson, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh and Dr Candice Howarth. 

The 2024 Lord Darzi Review of the NHS stated that: “often health and climate are mutually reinforcing goals”. Aligning climate and health objectives can help existing budgets to go further – something that is particularly relevant given the high levels of pressure on the NHS and tight public finances. But what do the public think about policies that could deliver for health and climate change simultaneously?

These slides summarise findings from a nationally representative sample (on the basis of age, gender and ethnicity) of 897 people who were asked to share their opinions about the benefits that climate action can bring and their level of support for policies that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving public health.

Headlines

• The public are concerned about climate change and the environment.
• Many people are yet to form an opinion on the Government’s climate mitigation plans, but the majority of those who have an opinion believe current plans to be insufficient. 
• The public are supportive of the benefits that climate action can bring, such as homes that are more affordable to heat, improved air quality and health, and improved energy security. Notably, there is strong support for those benefits that relate directly to people’s health. 
• The public show high levels of support for a number of policies that can deliver health and climate benefits simultaneously, particularly improving home energy efficiency, encouraging more active forms of travel and boosting green and blue spaces.

Key recommendations

1. Increase ambition on measures that deliver for climate and health: build on the high levels of public support for energy efficiency, active travel and green space in particular by supporting policy interventions in those areas.
2. Ensure join up across departments: greater coordination between government departments can help ensure climate action maximises benefits to other government priorities, such as health and economic outcomes. It can also help ensure that climate mitigation and adaptation actions are closely aligned.
3. Enhance policy design and communications: for areas where support is less pronounced, increase the level of public engagement in policy design and communications to help strengthen public support.