This online public seminar discusses public and political gaps in the necessary speed for climate action, within the wider context of diverging views.
Dr Lucas Geese, Research Fellow at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and Dr Susie Wang from Climate Barometer, reflect on whether public and politicians’ views are becoming more polarised or not – and, if so, what might be effective responses to declining support for climate action?
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In this online public seminar on 15 July 2026, Dr Lucas Geese talks through his findings that UK Members of Parliament (MPs) and the public overestimated the time left to meet a critical deadline for limiting global warming and that MPs representing high-emitting constituents hardly engage in parliamentary debates on decarbonisation.
Dr Susie Wang tracks and makes sense of UK public and political opinion on climate change over time, through Climate Barometer’s twice-yearly tracker. It shows that both the public and MPs consistently underestimate public support for renewables, local energy infrastructure and net zero.
Dr Gharde was joined by discussant Sam Chetan-Welsh from Green Alliance. The event was chaired by Asher Minns, Executive Director of the Tyndall Centre.
Watch the full discussion below.