Young Cypriots fret less about climate change than EU peers

Young people in Cyprus are less worried about climate change than other Europeans, is the main result of a study recently published.

The survey on “How concerned are young people about climate change?” contacted 22,377 people aged between 15 and 35 from 23 countries. The research in Cyprus was carried out by the University of Nicosia for the EU.

It was conducted by the End Climate Change consortium, Start Climate of Change, with the aim of outlining the views of young EU citizens on climate change, migration and the overall sustainability of the current economic model.

“Close to half (46 per cent) of young Europeans consider climate change to be among the most serious problems facing the world, which puts it in first place among problems listed, even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the paper said.

In second place comes ‘environmental degradation, including for example air pollution, deforestation and the extinction of animals’ (44 per cent). Just 13 per cent consider ‘large-scale migration’ to be among the most serious problems facing the world. Concerns about climate change among young Cypriots are well below the European average.

While in Austria and Germany, 55 per cent to 54 per cent of young people consider climate change to be among the most serious problems facing the world, this figure is 24 per cent in Cyprus.

The proportion of Cypriots who feel well informed about climate migration is also low. Among the countries surveyed, the proportion ranges between 31 per cent in Ireland to 12 per cent in Cyprus.

Asked who should take action to combat climate change, 65 per cent of Cypriots replied this is the responsibility of companies, while only 52 per cent of Europeans agreed with this.

Just 25 per cent of Cyprus residents said they should personally take action, while the EU average is 34 per cent. In Malta, Austria and Lithuania about half (51 per cent, 50 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively) feel personally responsible for tackling climate change.

At the same time, about one in five young Cypriots is concerned about migration flows – higher than the European average – without, however, linking it to climate change, which makes the term ‘climate migration’ relatively unknown to the majority of young people. of Cyprus.

Contrary to most Europeans, Cypriots are more concerned with the financial situation and unemployment than with climate change and environmental degradation. 56 per cent said this is a major problem, compared to 30 per cent of EU residents.

The second pressing problem in the world is hunger and poverty, Cypriots believe, but just 36 per cent of the persons asked in the 23 countries agree with this statement.