An article in the New York Times has highlighted that Brits are becoming increasingly sceptical about the about the facts behind climate change. This article references a BBC survey from earlier this year which found that only 26 percent of Britons believe that “climate change is happening and is now established as largely manmade,” down from 41 percent in November 2009.
This is in marked contrast to the opinions of climatologists who actively publish research on climate change. When asked the question “Do you think human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing mean global temperatures?”, a whopping 97.5% answered ‘yes’. Details of this report can be found here.
Fortunately our government, councils and many businesses and charities are on the side of the climatologists. However, this disparity in opinion makes it even more important that these organisations help their people understand just how important climate change is.
PeopleProfitPlanet have found that helping employees understand the seriousness of our environmental situation isn’t just a ‘nice to do’ for organisations. It also helps them commercially. This is for two reasons: firstly people appreciate the education that they’ve received (we have seen many a jaw drop on the floor when we give the information about the climatologists). This therefore leads to the employees feeling closer to their employer. Secondly, this motivates the staff to take environmental action, which almost always leads to cost savings for the business.
The message of this tale from our cousins across the Atlantic is that there is a great opportunity for employers to environmentally engage their people and help them understand the importance of dealing with Climate Change.
