How can we ensure climate & aviation messaging really lands?

The news has been met with dismay by climate campaigners, who point to clear advice from the Climate Change Committee that airport expansion is not feasible if we want to hit our carbon budgets. 

But this message doesn’t seem to be cutting through. So what can climate and aviation campaigners do differently? 

A good place to start is understanding what people think about airport expansion right now. Polling picked up by the Daily Mail and Independent of more than 2,000 people by YouGov for Climate Outreach and Possible found two in three people (61%) believe airport expansion is the wrong priority. Only 6% of people think it should be a priority for transport investment specifically – coming last of all available options polled. 

Voters instead back investment in our railways, with 70% in the poll saying they think upgrading the rail system is the right priority for the country. 68%, including 80% of Labour voters, also back a national scheme to insulate our homes. 

Climate and aviation campaigning focuses unsurprisingly on the impact of aviation on climate change. But there is a really important trick we are missing if this is the only thing we talk about. Actually, we need to reinforce that airport expansion isn’t something people prioritise right now. Instead, people back climate-friendly upgrades to our infrastructure and homes. 

So if you’re talking about aviation, we think: 

Do show what people across the country think; they don’t think airport expansion is the right priority for the country right now. What they really want is investment in day-to-day connectivity like better rail infrastructure and more bus routes. Talk about that instead. 

Do also point to findings that more people think big business and shareholders would benefit most from a third runway at Heathrow, not taxpayers and the average holiday maker.

Yes, of course as climate campaigners we need to talk about the impact on emissions, but by showing that we are on the side of the majority, our argument has much more chance of landing. 

We also suggest avoiding really emotive talk of airport expansion as ‘climate vandalism’ or similar – although the majority of people in the UK don’t fly in any given year, most people would love a holiday in the sun if they could get one.  

But we also think there’s lots more we could do to understand what people think and feel about aviation and climate right now – get in touch if you’d like to explore that with us.