More than nine in ten in Malta think climate change is a serious problem, and over a third think climate change is the biggest problem facing the world today, a Brussels-commissioned survey showed.
The Maltese had the largest increase in concerns about climate change among Europeans, according the the report. Asked whether they considered climate change to be a serious problem, the Eurobarometer showed an increase of 20 percentage points compared to last year.
Denmark had the second largest increase by 18 percentage points (47 per cent) and Germany had the second largest increase by 30 percentage points (30 per cent).
The latest Eurobarometer report was a special edition on climate change.
According to the report, fifteen per cent of respondents in Malta said the most serious problem facing the world was poverty, hunger and a lack of drinking water. The number declined by seven points compared to the previous study. This reflected a general trend in the EU, the report said, noting respondents were less likely to think poverty, hunger and a lack of drinking water was the most serious problem facing the world.
As was the case in 2017, there are generally only minor differences between socio-demographic groups. In particular, there is general consensus between genders, and across age groups that climate change is a very serious issue, although women and those aged 25-54 are slightly more likely to say this.
The increasing global population is most often mentioned as one of the most serious problems by respondents in the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark (all 43 per cent) and Malta (41 per cent). It is the least mentioned by those in Cyprus (7 per cent) and Portugal and Spain (both 13 per cent).
The Maltese believe they have become more active in fighting climate change. More than eight in ten respondents said they have personally taken action in the fight against climate change.
Earlier in September, activists took to the streets to join in the worldwide climate strike action.
Environmental activists laid down on the ground in front of Parliament in Valletta as a symbolic representation of the consequences of continued inaction on climate. They demanded that the Maltese Parliament declares a climate emergency before it is too late.
And earlier this year, activists took to the streets to protest a project that would have seen hundreds of trees uprooted or cut down to make way for new roads.
Denise Grech – CorporateDispatch Pro from Brussels
