Irish people believe global warming will harm ‘people in the future’, not them

People in Ireland feel “others” — such as future generations or people “far away” — are more threatened by climate change than themselves despite having high levels of concern about the issue, according to the latest research on attitudes to the global crisis.

Many people underestimate the immediate risks and already-occurring effects of climate change on their doorstep, according to a survey conducted earlier this year, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is part of two insight reports published on Tuesday from the watchdog’s ongoing Climate Change in the Irish Mind study.

The youngest adults (18-24 years) consistently exhibit significantly higher levels of concern, with young women most concerned about climate change. Some 4,000 residents of the Republic, aged 18 and older, took part. The survey builds on a baseline study published in 2021.

People in Ireland support climate policies, the reports conclude. Where opposition arises, “it appears to be driven by practical concerns, rather than by scepticism or suspicion of the science of climate change”, they find.

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The reports indicate a disconnect among many people on the effects of global warming around them. “The reality is that climate change is already having real and measurable impacts on people in Ireland, and this is likely to increase in the future without concerted action,” the EPA notes.

The reports show that among a minority of people (30 per cent) there is opposition to specific climate policies reflecting practical concerns such as the feasibility of electrifying home heating and transport.

Eimear Cotter, director of the EPA’s Office of Evidence & Assessment, said: “This assessment indicates that the majority of people in Ireland support climate policies. People who oppose climate policies are not, however, climate deniers and opposition does not appear to be reflective of underlying concerns or suspicions around climate change. Rather, it appears to be specific to localised concerns and issues which must be addressed to enact major climate change policies.

“Today’s report also shows that there is an ‘othering’ or disconnection from the impacts of climate change. People believe that it will harm people in the future, far away, animals and plants, other people, and lastly themselves personally.”

This showed how important it was to convey the immediacy of the threat of climate change to people, “that each of us is already being impacted by it and will be increasingly impacted into the future unless action is taken now”, said Dr Cotter.

Senior manager in the EPA Office of Evidence and Assessment, Conor Quinlan, said: “Age is the biggest factor in determining how concerned people are about climate change. The youngest adults (18-24 years) consistently exhibit significantly higher levels of concern and risks perceptions in relation to climate, with young women disproportionately concerned about climate change.”

Dr Quinlan added: “And unlike some groups, they act on these concerns: young people’s consumer choices and purchasing patterns reflect their perception of climate change as a major risk.”

The project is being undertaken by the EPA in collaboration with Yale Programme on Climate Change Communications and with the support of the Government’s National Dialogue on Climate Action.