NEWS AND COMMENT: There is a rather disturbing report in the news today based upon a study which tells us that young people are less likely to take action to reduce their carbon footprint than older British citizens. Worryingly, they are substantially less likely compared to older people to take steps to protect the environment.
It appears to me that Greta Thunberg’s strong message to take real action against global warming has not got through to younger Britons. They aren’t listening to her.
The report concerns a YouGov survey of just over 1000 Brits. The researchers concluded that 80% of 18-24-year-olds say they are concerned about global warming compared to slightly less over-65s (70%).
However, despite that heightened concern about global warming, almost 90% of over-65s claim to recycle as much of their waste as possible but only 50% of young people do the same thing.
Younger people in Britain are also less likely to incorporate energy-saving measures into their homes. In fact, retired Brits are 300% more likely to do this than younger people.
It doesn’t stop there. The over-65s are more likely than younger people to have reduced the number of flights that they take. They also take steps to save water, to repair items and to wash clothes at low temperatures. Further, they choose a renewable energy tariff. And they are more likely to turn the central heating down and switch off lights in rooms that aren’t in use. All small but important steps to reduce carbon footprint.
The results of the survey belie the impression that we have that younger people are more concerned about climate change. They certainly express a greater worry about it but they don’t walk the walk as Greta Thunberg does. They appear to be talking about it but doing less about it in terms of practical steps.
The reason would appear to be a lack of commitment, energy and drive to do these things but another reason might be that they have less time compared to retired people to take the necessary steps.
The survey isn’t all critical of younger people in this respect. In some ways they are better than older people such as they are more likely to walk or cycle than older people and more likely to be vegan or vegetarian.
For instance, the survey revealed that 17% of 18-24-year-old don’t eat meat which compares favourably with 8% of the over-65s. In general terms, in Britain, 12% of citizens regard themselves as vegan or vegetarian.
About three quarters of British citizens are concerned about global warming and slightly less (70%) believe that urgent action is needed to curb it.
A barrier to taking steps is expense. This has been a difficult time economically speaking in Britain. It’s still post-Covid which was inflationary when combined with the Ukraine war. Now we have a possible Middle East conflagration which may further lead to inflationary pressures.
Around 50% of the participants in the survey said that dealing with the cost-of-living crisis is a higher priority than taking steps to minimise their impact on the environment.
The research was commissioned by Aviva as part of its Climate-Ready Index. Claudine Blamey, the group’s sustainability director said: “The majority of UK residents believe urgent action is required to tackle environmental change. It’s heartening to see that older generations are leading the way through their climate-conscious behaviours and younger people are committing to doing more. There is evidence that some people’s efforts are hampered by worries about the economic situation. But many individuals are combining the need to manage costs with the desire to protect the planet. It is vital that people realise making a difference is within their gift, helping their families, communities and country to get ready.”
My thanks to The Times of Monday, October 30, 2023 for this story.
