Speaking at the COP26 summit, the UK’s chief scientific adviser says the country must do more to change lifestyles in order to meet its climate goals
Environment 9 November 2021
By Adam Vaughan
People in the UK aren’t doing enough to change their behaviour to tackle climate change, according to the country’s chief scientific adviser, who says he has made changes including eating less meat and cycling more.
“It’s starting,” says Patrick Vallance, speaking at the COP26 summit in Glasgow. “Is it where it needs to be yet? Probably not. I think there’s more to go. There’s a willingness and there’s an engagement taking place.”
Vallance’s comments contrast with the approach taken by the UK government to date. UK ministers and officials have focused on technology change – such as swapping petrol vehicles for electric ones – rather than behaviour change, such as shifting diets or flying less. Yet the UK’s statutory climate advisers believe much of the action needed to reach net-zero emissions requires behaviour changes.
Tim Peake, the British astronaut, also spoke to New Scientist at COP26 about the need for lifestyle changes. “It is going to be difficult for everybody. Everybody is going to have to change,” he says. Peake says that he recently fully reinsulated his loft at home. “These are the small steps that everybody can make. But lots of small steps add up to a huge impact.”
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Asked if the UK government is doing enough to encourage people to change their habits, he says: “It needs to be done in a positive way. We need to make the green choice the easy choice, because there’s lots of people struggling at the moment, inflation is going up and the cost of living is going up.
“We do need to be aware of people’s budgets at this time, to make sure we’re encouraging them to use public transport not just because it’s clean and green but it’s easier than driving somewhere.”
Vallance says he is hopeful of serious action on climate change. “There’s actually quite a lot of hope. The technologies we need are either here or in development,” he says. “The second reason for hope is we’ve got a whole generation that’s absolutely determined to do this. There’s behaviour change already happening right the way across the globe.”
On progress at COP26, where governments are entering the endgame to reach a final statement in Glasgow this week, Vallance says net-zero pledges and commitments on deforestation and methane are all important steps. But, referring to the world’s goal of holding global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, he cautions: “This is tough. 1.5°C is really tough. It’s not an easy target.”
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