Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Over 50-year-olds in Belgium understand more about the causes and effects of climate change than younger generations, according to the latest survey by the European Investment Bank (EIB).
How Does Belgium Compare in Climate Change Awareness?
The sixth edition of the EIB Climate Survey questioned more than 30,000 respondents across Europe about their understanding of the causes, consequences and resolutions to climate change. Belgian respondents achieved an average of 6.49/10 on the survey, barely higher than the EU average ranking of 6.37/10. Among the nations polled, respondents in Finland demonstrated the highest level of familiarity with climate change (7.22/10), followed by Luxembourg (7.19/10) and Sweden (6.96/10).
What Are the Knowledge Gaps in Belgian Climate Awareness?
The survey uncovered that Belgians have a good understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change, but there is still some room for progress in their knowledge of solutions – imaging findings across Europe. The EIB also specified a generational gap among those analysed in Belgium, as those over 50 showed a greater knowledge of the causes and consequences of climate adaptation (7.00/10) compared to more youthful generations under 50 (6.09/10).
What Do Belgians Know About Climate Change Causes?
Understanding of climate change meanings and causes among Belgian respondents was narrowly inferior to the EU average (7.19/10 compared to 7.21/10).
More than two-thirds of Belgian participants (72%) accurately defined climate change as a long-term change in global climate patterns, while 7% thought that climate change is a “hoax”.
Three-quarters (72%) identified human activities such as deforestation, farming, industry and transport as the main wrongdoers, while the rest linked it to natural wonders such as volcanic explosions and heatwaves (16%), or the gap in the ozone layer (12%).
Are Belgians Aware of Climate Change Impacts?
Some 80 per cent of Belgian participants comprehended that climate change harms human health, and 85% were right in saying that it is exacerbating world hunger. Rising sea levels were identified by 79% of Belgian respondents, however, misunderstandings persist among more than a fifth of participants: 11% thought that climate change has no effect on sea levels and 10% acknowledged that the global sea level is going down.
Do Belgians Understand Climate Change Solutions?
Belgian participants showed a lower level of knowledge on solutions to climate change, achieving 4.51/10 (compared to an EU average of 4.25/10). While almost three-quarters of Belgian participants are conscious of solutions such as recycling (71 per cent) and the use of public transportation instead of individual cars (59 per cent), nearly three in ten (29 per cent) were ignorant that recycling can help prevent climate change.
Only a small prevalence (53%) are mindful of the positive impact of building insulation, while just 41% are conscious that buying fewer clothes can lower our impact on the climate. A large share of Belgian participants (70%) did not know that lowering speed limits on roads can help fight climate change.
The EIB is the Europe’s long-term lending organisation. Recent investments were pushed to back Belgium’s green transition, including endurable public transport in Brussels, energy-efficient academies and public infrastructure in Wallonia and wastewater treatment plants throughout Flanders. The EIB also funds wind farms off the Belgian seaside and a €1 billion fund to back climate mitigation measures and the building of social housing to allow Belgium to cope with the impact of extreme weather events.
