In an EIB survey, many Irish people said they fear losing their job because it will be incompatible with the need to tackle the climate crisis. But 59pc believe climate policies will create more jobs than they eliminate.
The majority of Irish people believe that the green transition will create jobs and improve quality of life. That’s according to a survey carried out by the European Investment Bank (EIB) in partnership with market research firm BVA.
The EIB’s 2021-2022 Climate Survey was conducted in September 2021 with more than 30,000 people from 30 countries. It is part of a series of surveys by the EIB as part of its efforts to find out how people feel about climate action.
Out of the Irish people who were surveyed, 63pc said that climate policies will improve their quality of life, while 59pc said that policies to tackle the climate crisis would create more jobs than they would eliminate.
Just over half (53pc) of Irish respondents said the green transition would improve the economy, which is broadly in line with the European average of 56pc.
Respondents from Ireland believe that the climate crisis is a long-term problem, with 64pc predicting it will still be a serious issue mid-century compared to 34pc who predict it will be under control by 2050.
Nearly a third (31pc) of Irish people aged between 20 and 29 said they fear losing their job because it will become incompatible with the need to mitigate the climate crisis. This figure was 20pc for all age groups on average.
Just under a quarter (21pc) of Irish people expect to have to move to another region or country in the future because of the climate crisis. This figure increases to 39pc among people aged 20 to 29.
Two-thirds said they expect that most people will be working from home to aid the green transition in the coming years and nearly half (48pc) predict that an energy quota will be allocated to each individual.
“Irish people see clear opportunities in the green transition for their quality of life as well as for the job market in general,” said EIB vice-president Christian Kettel Thomsen.
“However, they are also concerned, notably the younger generation, about the long-term impact of climate change on where they live and on the sustainability of their jobs.”
According to the survey results, people in Ireland and across Europe are more pessimistic about the possible impact of climate action policies on the economy when compared with their Chinese and US counterparts.
More than two-thirds (66pc) of Chinese people believe the green transition will benefit their economy, while 57pc of US people said the same.
Kettel Thomsen said that the EIB has “a responsibility” as the EU climate bank to listen to people’s concerns around the climate crisis and work with policymakers and industry partners to address them.
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