- 69% believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences should provide an impetus to accelerate the green transition.
- 88% 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.
- 70% want polluting activities to be taxed more heavily to account for their environmental cost.
- 63% want energy prices to be tied to consumption, with those consuming the most being charged more.
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, Spaniards have become even more acutely aware of the impact of climate change and the need for urgent action.
Climate change awareness and urgency
Unemployment was considered the number one challenge for Spaniards last year and these concerns still predominate in 2022, with 56% citing the job market as their top concern, compared with 45% across the rest of the European Union.
Concerns about climate change come right after economic and financial concerns, and are increasing rapidly (39% consider it to be the biggest challenge, compared with 29% in 2021, an increase of 10 percentage points), particularly among left-wing supporters (49%). In addition, 83% of Spaniards now say they feel the effects of climate change on their daily lives (an increase of 2 percentage points since 2021).
88% 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. Meanwhile, 92% feel that the government is reacting too slowly, and only a minority (45%) think that Spain will succeed in substantially reducing its carbon emissions by 2030.
War in Ukraine and green transition
Most Spaniards (69%) believe that the war in Ukraine and its consequences on the prices of oil and gas should accelerate the green transition (3 percentage points more than the European average of 66%).