Almost a third of EU citizens believe that meeting the challenge of climate change should be parliament's top priority, a fresh European Parliament poll revealed on Friday, one day after members voted to declare a climate and environmental emergency
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th November, 2019) Almost a third of EU citizens believe that meeting the challenge of climate change should be parliament's top priority, a fresh European Parliament poll revealed on Friday, one day after members voted to declare a climate and environmental emergency.The EU's official surveyor, Eurobarometer, interviewed 27,607 people aged 15 or over from October 8-22, 2019. Interviewees were asked what single issue should be at the top of parliament's agenda.
For the first time since polling began, climate change topped the list of EU citizens' concerns, overtaking the fight against poverty and social exclusion. The poll indicated that 32 percent of Europeans believe that combating climate change and preserving the environment should be the European Parliament's number one priority.
The poll showed that citizens' Primary concerns vary greatly across the EU. In Sweden, 62 percent of respondents called for the EU Parliament to act to prevent climate change. The second and third highest values were recorded in Denmark (50 percent) and The Netherlands (46 percent).
On the other hand, less than 20 percent of respondents from Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania and Greece believed that the European Parliament should address climate change before other issues.
A wave of youth-led protests across the world calling for greater action to combat climate change appears to have left a significant imprint on public opinion. According to the Eurobarometer poll, 59 percent of EU citizens believe these protests will lead to changes in political policy.
On Thursday, the European Parliament voted to declare a climate and environmental emergency, setting out a plan to reach net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. President-elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is set to present a "green deal" on the fight against climate change within 100 days of taking office. The new European Commission is set to take over on December 1.
