Our thinking

Daddy solutions

7 February, 2025

At Good Business, we spend a lot of time thinking about (and working on!) both climate change and behaviour change. We’re always interested in stories where the two intersect, and so were entertained this week by The Economist’s concept of the Net Zero Dad.

You may not be familiar with the term, but we can guarantee you’re familiar with the archetype: a middle-aged, middle-class man, who isn’t particularly concerned about climate change, but is nevertheless excited by the abundant tech solutions aimed at addressing it. Heat pumps, electric vehicles, time-of-use electricity tariffs: these are the starter pack for the Net Zero Dad.

It’s wonderful when climate change action is driven by unwavering belief in the urgency of the issue. But we know from our work on behaviour change that the most effective levers of change are those linked to what really matters to people. So, if what dads care about is having the latest tech and saving money on utility bills (the subject nearest and dearest to many a dad’s heart), what better way to get them involved in climate action than by leveraging these interests.

File this for later: What your dad really wants for Father’s Day is a heat pump.

By Louise Podmore