A survey revealed that 99% of Portuguese recognize the need to adapt to climate change, and 66% consider this adaptation a priority, above the EU average.
Almost all Portuguese (99%) support measures to combat climate change, an issue that 66% consider a priority, reveals the latest Climate Survey of the European Investment Bank (EIB) published this Monday.
For this seventh edition of the annual survey on the climate of long-term financial institutions in the EU, carried out last August, more than 24,000 people were interviewed in the European Union (EU) and the United States, 1,009 of them which in Portugal.
The publication of the study occurs on the same day that the 29th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP29) begins in Baku, Azerbaijan, which will last until the 22nd.
In Portugal, “climate change is among the five biggest challenges facing the country, along with political instability and after the increase in the cost of living, access to healthcare, large-scale migration and unemployment,” indicates the EIB statement on the survey.
The need to adapt to climate change is Recognized by 99% of respondents in the country, more than the EU average of 94%.and 66% (16% above the European bloc average) consider this adaptation a priority.
For 95% (86% in the EU), investing in climate change adaptation can help create jobs and stimulate the local economy.and the same percentage think this should be done now “to avoid higher costs in the future.”
“People know that we have to act now to adapt and mitigate the effects of climate change, but a well-planned transition is also the one that makes the most economic sense. Every euro invested in prevention and resilience saves between five and seven euros in damage repair,” said EIB President Nadia Calviño, quoted in the statement.
The frequency and severity of extreme weather events due to human action, as was the case with the recent storms and floods in Spain that caused more than 200 deaths and damage to supply, communications and transportation infrastructure, shows the need to accelerate policies that stop global warming.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday that climate change is making people sick, saying that acting quickly is “a matter of life and death.”
Europe is currently “the continent experiencing the fastest warming”according to a report by the European Environment Agency.
According to the EIB survey, 86% of Portuguese (six percentage points above the EU average) were affected by at least one extreme weather event in the last five years.
“More specifically, 63% (eight points above the EU average) were affected by extreme heat and heat waves.48% (27 points above the EU average) faced forest fires and 43% (eight points above the EU average) were affected by droughts,” the statement said.
Regarding the consequences of extreme weather events, 28% of Portuguese respondents said they had seen forests or natural spaces destroyed near their homes (nine percentage points more than the EU average) and 24% said they had suffered problems health conditions, such as sunstroke or sunstroke. respiratory problems.
The investigation also revealed that 77% of Portuguese (72% in the EU) recognize that they will have to change and adapt their lifestyle due to climate change37% think that they will have to move to a place less vulnerable to the climate, even if it is in the same region, and 30% that they will have to move to a cooler region or country.
To adapt to climate change, 52% (38% in the EU) advocate educating citizens to take measures to prevent and address extreme weather events.38% consider it a priority to focus on cooling cities and 37% on improving infrastructure.
Adaptation costs should be paid “by the companies and industries that contribute the most to climate change” according to 49% (14 percentage points more than the European average), while 30% maintain that “everyone should pay the same” and 8% let the richest bear them, through higher taxes.
Regarding adaptation aid, 25% of the Portuguese stated that the first beneficiaries should be people living in high-risk areas, 32% that priority should be given to older people and 38% that “ everyone should benefit equally.”
“The majority of Portuguese (67%, 10 points above the EU average) recognize the need to support global adaptation efforts and believe that their country should do more to help the most vulnerable developing countries adapt.” to the growing impacts of climate change.”
The statement also indicates that in 2023 the EIB’s investment in Portugal dedicated to climate action and environmental sustainability reached €746 million.
HE COP29 should be marked by negotiations on the so-called “new quantified collective objective” (NCQG) financing for climate action.
The goal is to establish a new value for North-South financial aid to fight and adapt to climate change, after countries agreed at last year’s conference to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems and triple the renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Source: Observadora
