Climate Language: Majority of Brits Do Not Understand Key Climate Terminologies

Only a quarter of British people understand key climate language, resulting in an inadequate comprehension of the vocabulary around the climate problem and environmental policies to minimize waste.

The term "green" was readily understood by only a few, and roughly the same amount of people could appropriately describe what "sustainable" meant: manufacturing something in a way that creates little or no environmental damage. Government policies aimed at decreasing waste were likewise unclear.

Climate Language

According to the study, which was conducted by the analytics company Trajectory and the communications agency Fleet Street, even terms commonly used by businesses, such as "environmentally friendly" and "locally grown," are understood by only a minority of individuals in the United Kingdom.

Three months after a ban on single-use plastic cutlery and plates was implemented, less than half of those surveyed, or 47%, felt confident in identifying "single-use plastics"-plastic objects used once and then discarded.

According to the findings, people aged 18 to 24 have more confidence in their ability to understand essential terminology related to climate and environmental policy. The term "sustainability" was grasped by 24% more adults aged 18 to 24 than customers over 65.

Those with higher levels of education felt more confident in their comprehension of essential words. For example, 11% more people with a university degree or above knew the term "circular economy"-an economy that eliminates waste and minimizes carbon emissions by reusing resources-than those who left school at the age of 16.

The phrase was grasped by 30% more people still in formal education than by older people who had dropped out after secondary school, indicating that students now have better comprehension than prior generations.

The study used focus groups and a nationally representative online poll of 1,000 UK individuals.

According to Mark Stretton, a co-founder of Fleet Street, the research suggests that more should be done to engage customers in efforts to fulfill net zero aims, become more sustainable, and minimize waste.

Support For Sustainability

Despite some confusion over key terms, the research shows extremely broad support for the issues: nine out of ten people believed it was important for businesses and brands to discuss their sustainability initiatives, and 68% said they were more likely to buy from a company that had a clear environmental strategy in place.

Just under half of all customers, or 47%, agreed that brands bore the greatest responsibility for ensuring action on the climate crisis.

Many businesses were spending extensively on sustainability, establishing lofty goals in the process.

"It's the role of environmental organizations like ours to ensure we use clear, accessible language in our communications that helps create a shared understanding of the urgency of the climate and nature crises and the solutions needed to tackle them," said Jamie Peters, of Friends of the Earth.

Paul Flatters, the chief executive of Trajectory, said the data show that there is a clear link between consumer comprehension and how positively they feel about a certain phrase.

"This puts the onus firmly on brands to properly educate consumers so that awareness and understanding of major climate related terms are increased across the board," he added.