42% of British adults want referendum on net zero

According to a YouGov survey conducted this month, forty two per cent of British adults said they supported a vote on the government’s net zero plans.

30 per cent opposed a vote, and 28 per cent did not indicate a preference.

When the “don’t knows” were excluded from the results, a majority of 58 per cent wanted a ballot on the issue.

Of those who expressed a preference, 58 per supported a referendum.

According to the director of CAR26.Org, who commissioned the polling, Lois Perry: “A majority of those expressing an opinion supported holding a referendum – greater than the winning sides in either the Scottish Independence or Brexit referendums.”

CAR26.Org proposes that the vote be held at the 2024 or 2029 General Election.

Miss Perry, says: “We must not let political consensus drive us into carbon poverty. Let the people take control of the wheel.”

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the costs of Net Zero could exceed £1,000 billion.

Published in December 2020, the UK government’s Energy White Paper details the Government’s long-term vision for achieving its net zero target by 2050.

The paper developed an existing Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution and pledged to create 250,000 green jobs and plant 30,000 hectares of trees.

The government stresses an increased movement towards renewable electricity such as offshore wind and greater use of green technology and design. Among other strategies, the paper references net zero carbon buildings, energy efficiency, and people replacing their car with an electric vehicle fuelled by clean energy sources.

The government has also set five-year carbon budgets which set caps on the total volume of greenhouse gas emissions produced over this period.