A quarter of Brits admit they use environment-related jargon despite not knowing what the terms mean, research has revealed.
The likes of “greenwashing, “carbon neutral” and “net zero” have entered the lexicon in recent years as society looks towards an eco-friendlier future – but there is confusion over the now commonly-used words.
A survey of 2,000 UK adults found 41 percent have pretended to know what someone meant by a particular environmental term to appear “with it” or avoid having to ask.
Where someone has heard an eco-term they didn’t understand, 16 percent pretended they knew what they were talking about, while 27 percent glossed over it.
But only half (49 percent) would ask for clarification.
The research was commissioned by Smart Energy GB, the campaign helping the public understand the benefits of smart meters.
The organisation has recently released a report which makes recommendations for a broad range of organisations, including government and businesses, on how to communicate with the public about climate change.
One of the key recommendations in the “Tackling Climate Change from Home: How to Turn Good Intentions into Positive Actions” report, is to make sure that any communications reflect language already used by the public.