Almost three-quarters of EU citizens know they must adapt their lifestyle due to climate change, and over 90% say it’s important their country adapts too, the new Climate Survey from the European Investment Bank has found.
What’s more, climate change is a problem only outranked by cost-of-living at the top of people’s minds as a concern for countries to address. More positively, the report shows that a vast majority of those surveyed (86%) not only believe that investment in climate adaptation will boost the economy, but also that spending now will save money in the long-term by preventing higher future costs.
High levels of climate engagement in EU
The 7th annual survey asked over 24,000 respondents from the EU about their beliefs, concerns and experiences around climate change and adaptation to it. A whopping 94% of Europeans said climate change required important adaptations at a national level and 50% said adapting is a priority.
The high levels of engagement with the green agenda in the European Union might be explained by the bloc’s exposure to significant climate threats. The continent is the fastest warming on Earth and is already experiencing more frequent so-called “once-in-a-century” weather events, from deadly wildfires to the recent catastrophic flooding in southeastern Spain.
Weather events in Southern Europe driving higher awareness
Indeed, eco-awareness seems more acute in southern European countries, which have felt some of the worst climate impacts on the territory. “People living in southern European countries are generally more concerned,” the EIB said, “with 65% considering adaptation to be a priority (15 points above the EU average).” The study also found that 81% of respondents in southern European countries know they must adjust their lives as a result.
That figure is slightly lower across the bloc as a whole, but nonetheless, 72% of all EU respondents “recognise that they will have to adapt their lifestyle due to climate change.”
“People know we must act”
Among the challenges and “comprehensive adaptations” EIB sees coming, are questions such as how to futureproof and protect infrastructure and how to stabilise the global water and food supply.
“This year we have seen the tragic impact of extreme weather events in Central Europe and most recently in my own country Spain where many have lost their lives and thousands made homeless,” EIB President Nadia Calviño said in a statement. “From Pakistan to the Caribbean and North Carolina the impact of climate change is being felt across the globe. The survey released today confirms that people know we must act now to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. An orderly transition also makes the most economic sense. Every €1 invested in prevention and resilience saves between €5 and €7 in repairing damage.”
