• A recent online survey carried out by ClientEarth in the UK shows a preference of the British population for clean sources of energy
  • Most people would like to generate their own power through cleaner means like solar
  • Energy storage and community energy schemes were also preferred by a majority of the respondents
  • Government, according to survey participants, is not doing enough to deal with the challenges of climate change
  • Fossil fuel companies ought to pay for damages caused by extreme weather events

If the UK government made community energy schemes accessible, a majority of the denizens would definitely be interested in it. An online survey conducted by non-profit environmental law firm ClientEarth on climate change revealed at least 71% of those surveyed would opt for a community energy scheme and at least 62% would like to install their own solar panels, while 60% would like to have home energy storage.

The survey was commissioned by ClientEarth, and undertaken by YouGov. It focused on assessing the public sentiment on who should pay for climate change, fossil fuel investments in personal finance and what the future of Britain’s energy should look like. More than 2,000 UK adults participated in the survey. Most people feel the government is not doing enough to prepare and adapt to impacts of climate change. They believe investment in renewable energy and reducing industry emissions most needed to deal with the situation.

Solar and offshore wind led the ‘lost of energy sources’ the UK government should favour, followed by gas.

Fossil fuel companies, most respondents feel, must financially contribute for damage caused by extreme weather events, including the extreme heatwave experienced by the country in recent times. They would also want their pension or investments to be stored in a fund that considers climate change impacts of the companies it invests in.

“Looking to the future, the survey results also contain remarkable findings about how the British public want to produce and consume their energy, with a clear preference for renewables over fossil fuels, and overwhelming interest in community energy schemes,” said Alice Garton, head of Climate Programme, ClientEarth.

  The survey results are available on the website of ClientEarth.