Greeks concerned by climate change, but less so locally
A whopping 95% of Greeks agree that the climate is changing, with more than half of them believing that these changes pose a very serious threat to humanity, according to a new survey published on Thursday.
Conducted by Focus Bari and YouGov, the survey found that 52% of respondents see “a lot” of changes in the climate and 33% “quite a lot,” with just 5% denying the phenomenon.
Interestingly, despite 58% saying that they regard climate change as a “very serious problem” for humanity, many believe its impact to be less severe at the local level, with only 38% saying that it is equally serious for Greece as a whole and 27% for the specific part of the country where they live.
More than 60% of Greeks blame climate change on human activity, putting the onus on industry and on developing countries like China and India. All the respondents, meanwhile, hold central and local governments responsible for dealing with its impact.
A large portion (71%) of respondents also believe that climate change and the extreme weather phenomena it causes have a negative impact on people’s physical and mental health.
Only 9% of respondents, moreover, agreed with the opinion that it is too late to do anything about it, with 79% saying that consumers can contribute to stemming climate change’s impact, and the majority of respondents trying to do their part to this end.
More specifically, 78% recycle their paper waste, 77% make a point to buy energy efficient appliances, 58% would rather travel by rail or car instead of air when this is possible, and 49% shop for fruits and vegetables when they are in season. Another 48% said they try to keep their showers under 5 minutes long and 44% prefer taking public transportation or cycling instead of driving a car.
The survey was conducted on May 6-15 on a sample of 2,000 people aged between 18 and 64.
