46% of people believe the climate crisis won’t touch them

The emergency reality of the climate crisis, climate change and their consequences on our lives and our economy far exceeds the perception of the population, which reluctantly accepts, therefore, the sacrifices and adaptations necessary to combat and adapt, as in the case of The U.S. has a recent increase in bills, partly due to delays in the ecological transition and punitive charges of “CO2” quotas associated with energy generated from fossil origins.

But how big is this gap between reality and perceived?

This is revealed by research conducted by epson In 15 countries, including Italy, in which 15,264 citizens participated: 46% of people believe they will survive the climate crisis in their lifetime.

It is indeed worrying that so many people do not acknowledge or even deny the existence of the problem. It is a call for all governments, companies and individuals to cooperate so that the COP26 summit in Glasgow (Scotland) in November takes decisions and inspires the actions needed to reduce climate change. it’s goalEpson Climate Reality Barometer, designed to frame the debate on the occasion of COP26.

unreasonable optimism despite the evidence

When asked about mankind’s ability to survive the climate crisis in their lifetime, nearly half of respondents (46%) said they were either “very” or “quite” optimistic. In contrast, only 27% say they are very or quite pessimistic. among Italians, 38.8% say they are optimistic as against 34.1% who claim to be pessimistic.

Overall, the most common reasons for this optimism are increasing public awareness of climate change (32%), the ability of science and technology to provide solutions (28%) and the transition to renewable energy (19%).

european climate deniers

If globally 5% of respondents believe there is no climate emergency, Germany (7%) and the United Kingdom (6%) top the list of European climate deniers.

too long to resolve

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicates that reversing some man-made climate change will take millennia and, in light of several events – including the highest European temperatures ever recorded in Italy, wildfires in France and Spain and floods in Germany – the consequences of i barometer The suggestion is that widespread optimism regarding the evidence makes an alarming difference to the actual climate situation.

henning ohlssonEpson Europe, Director of Sustainability, said: “The climate emergency is for all to see and it is really worrying that so many people do not recognize its existence, or even deny it. It affects everyone, governments, There is a wake-up call for all, for companies and individual citizens, to cooperate so that the COP26 summit can make decisions and inspire the actions needed to reduce climate change.

understanding of reality

NS barometer This suggests that misdiagnosis of the phenomenon may be the result of an inability to recognize the signs of climate change and, therefore, to understand its importance.

More than three quarters (77%) of respondents see a link between climate change and rising global temperatures, extreme weather conditions (74%) and wildfires (73%). In contrast, awareness about events such as famine (57%), mass migration (55%) and pest epidemics (51%) is only half that.

we decide not to act

While many are ready to change their lifestyle to deal with the crisis, some do not take the initiative. NS barometer shows that: 65% agree to reduce business and leisure travel (they already do or plan to do so), but only 40% have done so; 68% agreed to switch to electric vehicles, but only 16% did; And 58% agreed to adopt a vegetarian diet, but only 27% did.

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