At the start of January, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE was in Parliament to give expert evidence to Parliament as part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s inquiry into the UK’s Seventh Carbon Budget.

Professor Whitmarsh, Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) and a leading voice in environmental psychologist, spoke in Westminster following CAST’s written submission, which set out why behaviour change and public engagement are essential to meeting the UK’s climate targets, alongside technology and infrastructure shifts.

The Seventh Carbon Budget will set legally binding limits on UK greenhouse gas emissions for 2038–2042 and sits within the UK’s long-term plan to reach net zero by 2050. The Committee’s inquiry examined assumptions in the Climate Change Committee’s advice, the costs and household impacts of delivering the budget, and how Government and Parliament should communicate trade-offs and build public support.

In the session, MPs explored how realistic the proposed budget is for households, businesses and different regions, and what barriers might slow progress. They challenged witnesses on whether behavioural changes assumed by the Climate Change Committee are achievable amid cost-of-living pressures, who should lead public engagement on net zero, and how to counter climate mis- and disinformation.

CAST’s evidence underscored that information alone is rarely enough to change behaviour. Instead, policy needs to make low-carbon choices easier, more affordable and part of everyday life across households, workplaces and communities. The session also probed how to ensure fairness in distributing costs and benefits of decarbonisation.

Commenting on the experience, Professor Whitmarsh said: "It’s vital that experts contribute to these debates, because understanding how the public responds to climate change is just as important as technological solutions. Achieving shifts in carbon reduction fundamentally requires policies that make low-carbon choices easier, more affordable, and integrated into everyday life, so that households, workplaces, and communities can all play their part. I was delighted to be able to present evidence from CAST and the University of Bath as part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s Inquiry into the 7th Carbon Budget."

The evidence session was attended by Committee members, including those close to the University: Cara Denyer (Bristol Central, and Sarah Gibson (Chippenham) and Roz Savage MP (South Cotswolds). Lorraine appeared alongside Polly Cook, Chief Officer for Climate, Energy and Green Spaces at Leeds City Council, and Toby Park, Director of Climate, Energy and Sustainability at the Behavioural Insights Team.

This was the [second time in six months]/announcements/professor-lorraine-whitmarsh-mbe-gives-evidence-to-parliaments-energy-security-net-zero-committee/) that Professor Whitmarsh was invited to give evidence in Parliament, having previously appeared before the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee in 2025. Her repeated call-ups reflect the growing role of social and behavioural research in shaping UK climate policy.

Professor Emma Carmel, Interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) added: “The University of Bath’s long-standing expertise in sustainability research means we can provide evidence that really informs policy. By connecting rigorous social and environmental science with the challenges decision-makers are facing, we are committed to ensuing our research drives real-world impact towards a fair and achievable net zero future. I was delighted to see Professor Whitmarsh provide evidence from CAST and the University to help inform the Environment Audit Committee’s latest inquiry.”

CAST is a partnership between the University of Bath, the University of Manchester, the University of East Anglia, Cardiff University and the charity Climate Outreach, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Through CAST and broader sustainability research, the University of Bath continues to connect academic insight with real-world policy impact.