Climate Crisis

Climate change: People do not want to take actions amid belief Ireland not being harmed, survey finds

Many questioned have ‘no intention’ of cutting meat consumption, see foreign trips as ‘part of their identity’ and are reluctant to live car-free, according to Government study

Climate change study: a significant gap exists between people’s climate-related intentions and actions. Photograph: iStock

Sorcha Pollak
Thu Jul 4 2024 - 13:26

A study on Irish attitudes toward climate change has found more than half of respondents did not believe it is harming people in Ireland, and that a significant gap exists between people’s climate-related intentions and actions.

According to report from the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, many of those questioned have “no intention” of cutting their meat consumption, while others see foreign trips as “part of their identity” and feel “it would be hard to fly less”.

The report also found many people are reluctant to live car-free and are sceptical about the value of fitting heat pumps in their homes.

It found climate-focused activities are often perceived as “Dublin-centric” and can alienate people in more regional and rural areas, while older people who prefer using traditional forms of heating struggle to grasp the concept of having a warmer home without an open fire.

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The Climate Conversation 2023 report, which features the input of almost 12,000 people as part of the National Dialogue on Climate Action, found people were far more concerned about issues such as inflation, crime, violence, poverty, social inequality and unemployment.

Financial or political corruption and healthcare also cause more worry for people than climate change, according to the research.

Respondents noted a “degree of fatigue” about green messaging, and some struggled with a lot of climate change vocabulary. A large proportion still consider climate change as an issue that will impact future generations and only one-third feel the changes will affect them in the near term.

Just over half of respondents said they did not believe climate change is currently harming people in Ireland.

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan said the report was a “vital tool to help policymakers understand he needs of people and the challenges they face in taking climate action.

“We must ensure that the transition to carbon neutrality is fair and equitable and meets the needs of citizens across Ireland,” he said.

The study found Irish people intend to do more to address the threat, such as switching to an electric car but still had concerns about the “prohibitive cost” of electric vehicles (EVs). Schemes and subsidies designed to promote retrofitting or the purchase of EVs were seen as more accessible to the “middle and upper economic classes”.

Many participants believe public transport options, routes and schedules are not suitable for their needs, while men in particular said they would only stop driving and switch to public transport “if they have to”.

The concept of flying less when you live on an island was viewed as “challenging”. The report also notes the “cultural barrier” among young people who see foreign trips and holidays as “part of their identity” and found a proportion of these would only fly less “if they were forced to”.

Older homeowners, particularly those in rural locations, often believe their way of life is “under threat” as a result of climate initiatives and the report recommends the impact of this change on the “identity of people” be further considered.

The report found many people, males in particular, had no intention of reducing their meat consumption and following a diet seen as more climate friendly. It said many people do not know enough about how to change their diet and “simply do not want to make that change and will only do so if they have to”.

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak

Sorcha Pollak is an Irish Times reporter and cohost of the In the News podcast

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