Maltese among most worried on climate change

The Maltese are among the EU’s most worried citizens about climate change and are also among the most active in doing their bit to mitigate the effects.

They consider the issue to be much more serious than world poverty or the state of the global economy, according to a new Eurobarometer survey carried out in June.

The survey reflects the recent shift in the attitudes of the Maltese towards waste separation and recycling, following initiatives such as the establishment of bring-in sites and the building of multimillion euro waste management facilities with the help of EU funds.

Nearly eight in 10 Maltese respondents said separation of waste was the main action they had taken over the previous six months. Others included cutting down on extra waste such as the use of plastic bags for shopping – mentioned by half of respondents – and buying more local food to lessen pollution involved in the transport of goods. The latter was being practised by a third of respondents.

A third also considered climate change as the most serious problem facing the world.

Among other EU citizens, only the Luxembourgers (34 per cent) gave more weight to this global challenge while the Portuguese (seven per cent) seemed the least bothered.

Only 12 per cent of the Maltese thought the economy was the most serious problem facing the world when the survey was being held. Across the EU, poverty received more mentions than any other issue as representing the most serious challenge.

On climate change, the Maltese, however, were the most cautions of the lot when it came to imposing taxes on the use of energy, with 63 per cent agreeing with such measures. Support in other EU member states was higher.

Tackling climate change was generally seen by EU citizens as mainly the responsibility of national governments, the EU and business. Only 21 per cent considered they had a personal responsibility although another 23 per cent suggested that all actors, including themselves, shared a collective responsibility.