Data from the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Survey determine that in Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Greece or Italy there is greater concern about climate change than in nations with a more ecological tradition such as Germany or Sweden. In the latter, awareness is around 70%, while in the former, approximately 80% perceive the effects of global warming and the increase in greenhouse gases as a threat. Along these same lines is the study published by the CIS, which concludes that 80% of those interviewed are “very” or “fairly” concerned about climate change.
Although there is a widespread view of the climate emergency, the perception of this phenomenon as a threat varies greatly from one country to another. In addition to European societies, Japan and South Korea perceive climate change as a higher risk than issues such as the spread of infectious diseases or cyberattacks. On the other hand, this idea is not shared by nations such as Israel, the United States, Malaysia or Singapore, where the identification of global warming as a serious problem is smaller.
The report states that a large majority in Spain believes that profound changes must be made to combat climate change and protect the environment. However, when asked about preferences regarding public spending, respondents put budget items allocated to health, research and science first. It is striking that less than one in three defends greater spending for environmental protection.
Without a doubt, awareness is the first step to confront the crisis that looms over humanity globally; But we must also take action, adopting consistent behaviors to reduce the carbon footprint and limit greenhouse gas emissions, which are one of the main causes of climate change. Although changes in individual behavior contribute to improving the situation, those who really must get involved to generate change are companies and institutions, which have a greater capacity to adopt a real commitment to the environment.
