Europeans are more concerned about natural disasters than armed conflicts. This is according to a new study cited by Euronews. The research by Debating Europe, the citizen engagement arm of the Friends of Europe think tank, comes just a month before the bloc heads to the polls in the European elections.
More than 2000 people in seven EU countries – Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Spain and Sweden – were asked what they thought were the most pressing issues facing Europe at the moment. Topics include climate change, democracy, inclusive and sustainable growth, and security and defence.
Climate change emerged as a significant source of concern for survey respondents. People have often emphasized the need to make up for lost time after decades of inaction, which has made humanity "catch up" with climate and environmental policies. A significant proportion of respondents believed it was too late to avoid the worst effects, with some even saying there was "too little time left to save".
Rather than an individual or divisive issue, many people saw the climate issue as an overarching challenge that affects everyone.
What climate solutions do Europeans want to see?
The solutions favored by the people who participated included taxing big polluters and curbing overconsumption. Young people were significantly more receptive to the idea of taxing polluters than people over 30.
Survey participants were positive about the role of technology, but said it needed to be "human-centric." Also, according to respondents, placing too much hope in saving the planet would be extremely counterproductive.
Public transport was also identified by all survey participants in all countries as something that should be prioritized to reduce car dependency. Even in countries that already have robust transport systems such as Germany, Sweden and France, people have called for improvements. Rail transport in particular is considered neglected.
Overall, participants called for more political action on climate change and stressed the need for politicians to take the threat seriously.
Climate change and security
People have also noted a connection between fossil fuels and security. A section of participants, especially in Germany and Italy, believed that fossil fuels helped finance "hostile" governments. According to some respondents, Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a “wake-up call” regarding the social cost of relying on oil and gas imports.
Much of the discussion around security has focused on climate-related natural disasters, which are seen as a greater threat within the EU than potential armed conflicts.
Alarmed by their increasing frequency, participants want authorities to do more to prevent and mitigate the effects of extreme weather events, droughts and other natural disasters that can seriously affect daily life.