- 76% believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences should provide an impetus to accelerate the green transition.
- 90% say that, if we do not drastically reduce our consumption of energy and goods in the coming years, we will be heading for a global catastrophe.
- 65% are in favour of indexing energy prices to the level of consumption per household.
- 60% want highly polluting goods and services, such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and air travel, to be more expensive to account for their level of pollution.
These are some of the results from the latest yearly climate survey, conducted in August 2022 and published today by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union and the world’s largest multilateral lender for climate action projects.
After a challenging year in which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked an ongoing energy crisis and accelerated inflation all over Europe, and a summer marked by record heatwaves and droughts, Cypriots have become even more acutely aware of the impact of climate change and the need for urgent action.
Climate change awareness and urgency
While COVID-19 was considered one of the biggest challenges facing Cypriots last year, concerns about inflation now predominate. 83% cite it as their top concern, compared with 36% across the rest of the European Union.
Meanwhile, 78% of Cypriots say they are feeling the effects of climate change on their daily lives.
Furthermore, 90% think that, if we do not drastically reduce our consumption of energy and goods in the coming years, we will be heading for a global catastrophe. At the same time, 89% feel that the government is reacting too slowly, and only 30% think that Cyprus will succeed in substantially reducing its carbon emissions by 2030.
War in Ukraine and green transition
Most Cypriots (76%) believe that the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the price of oil and gas should accelerate the green transition (10 percentage points more than the European average of 66%). Note that the survey was conducted in August this year and that public opinion may evolve rapidly.