In one incident, two people climbed on top of a petrol tanker and glued themselves to the vehicle. The frustrations of people wanting to see change were summed up before, during and after COP26 by the activist Greta Thunburg who characterised the gathering of world leaders as ‘Blah, blah, blah’ - stop talking, start reducing emissions. “There's obviously a narrative in the media that it’s only young people that care about this issue,” commented Sean Bradley of Morgan Sindall Construction. “The older and more comfortable you are, the more you don't care. That’s much too simplistic. In terms of the disruption we’ve seen on the M25 and elsewhere, people may not approve of the action but that’s not to say they don’t understand the point the protestors are making.”
Nicholas Thurston reflected on the difficulty of gaining a deep understanding of the population.
“The people who engage on climate change are generally doing so because their interest has been sparked from a particular angle - their home, their consumption, their transportation. Canterbury is a relatively wealthy place. People that engage do tend to be slightly older people and have got a bit more disposable income, alternatively, they are slightly younger, are worried and want to see action. Perhaps there’s a gap in the middle - with people busy working, managing their lives. In Canterbury, we're reaching out to all groups, we believe there is a huge appetite from our residents. They want to make changes, but are frustrated that the help is not as easy to access as it might be. It’s also worth saying that Kent County Council has done a fantastic pan-area survey on perceptions and behaviours around climate change.”
The panel agreed that community wide engagement has value if done well – such as Climate Action Weeks, Big Green Weeks and so on.
Guy Hannell pointed out that climate protests bring an increased reputational risk. “Today people are talking about issues like air quality and responsible business practices. House buyers will be much more inclined to look at it - do I want to live there? And sustainability is having an impact on brands – in terms of how companies are seen by their customers, stakeholders and employees. Are you doing enough as a business?”
