How to build a Net Zero society - using behavioural insights to decarbonise - a guide for policymakers and businesses

How to build a Net Zero society - using behavioural insights to decarbonise home energy, transport, food, and material consumption
A guide for policymakers and businesses

Written by The Behavioural Insights Team (Toby Park and colleagues)

In this report, The Behavioural Insights Team advices the UK government on policy that drives behavioural change. On fossil advertising or high carbon advertising they write:

Governments should:

"A4. Regulate advertising and greenwashing.

In addition to cracking down on all forms of greenwashing, follow other countries’ lead by restricting advertising of high-emitting sectors: explore the benefits of banning fossil fuels ads and, in time, advertising from firms within key sectors (e.g. air travel) who fail to meet decarbonisation targets compatible with UK carbon budgets."

"10. Directly regulate some aspects of the choice environment where appropriate.

For the most part, we promote upstream interventions which are market-based: ensuring commercial incentives align with green outcomes but otherwise allowing entrepreneurial innovation to determine how best to deliver. However, there are many examples of governments directly regulating industry in order to create a consumer choice environment which is better for society: such as the ban on open display of tobacco; the proposed ban on fast junk food adverts before 9pm; and school lunches regulated to ensure a balanced diet is provided. Other countries have started to translate these ideas into the Net Zero agenda, with bans on short-haul flights and advertising from carbon-intensive industries."

"Example: France has banned fossil fuel adverts and short-haul flights where alternative modes are available. The Dutch city of Haarlem has, with some controversy, banned meat adverts in public places."

"Public engagement, information and communications, this type of labelling intervention may often deliver only very modest impacts on consumer choice, but can have bigger impacts on operators because even losing 5% of market share can be enough to incentivise green innovation. However, it’s not a given that enough consumers would switch airline to create a strong enough incentive for this to occur, particularly if the changes needed (e.g. upgraded aircraft fleets, or increasing seating density) are expensive, or themselves unappealing to consumers. More research is needed, and if the approach proves ineffective, a more direct approach may be needed to incentivise airlines. For example, one recommendation in our list is to consider banning advertising of airlines that fail to meet more stretching carbon reduction targets inline with national interim carbon budgets. At the moment there is too much reliance on long-term pledges and technological hopes, without short-term action on the things that can easily be done now."