PARIS, Feb 17 — People who live in a favourable economic environment, with a relatively high standard of living and low inflation, tend to have more concern for environmental issues than those facing a more complex economic context, according to recent research. For many people, financial concerns can overshadow climate change issues.

This study, helmed by Jonas Peisker, a researcher at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, and published in Global Environmental Change, analyses the factors behind Europeans’ environmental concerns in an attempt to understand the mechanisms that drive their commitment to the environment.

The study analysed data from 25 Eurobarometer surveys conducted between 2009 and 2019 in 206 European regions and combined them with measures of regional economy, population, environmental quality and weather events.

According to the study, Europeans who live in a favourable economic context, with relatively high income levels and low inflation, tend to be concerned about environmental issues.

Conversely, those who are facing financial difficulties and an uncertain future in a more complex economic context put climate change issues on the back burner.

To explain this pattern, the study suggests the idea of a "finite pool of worry.” In other words, the most immediate issues, those that people are most concerned about, such as financial security, outweigh less immediate issues, such as climate policy.

People who don’t have to worry about financial insecurity are more likely to care about less immediate issues, like the environment. In other words, we can’t worry about too many things at once and have to prioritise.

The study also found that people who live in polluted areas had lower levels of concern for environmental issues.

Taking the example of regions where local industries emit a lot of greenhouse gases, the study suggests that their inhabitants could be more concerned about "the potential effects of environmental policies on economic competitiveness in the transition from fossil to clean technology.”

For Jonas Peisker, a more equitable distribution of income and wealth, and thus better social cohesion, would be necessary for everyone to take an interest in environmental issues.

"Climate policy and environmental protection are likely to be unpopular if they are increasing income and wealth inequality, inflation, and unemployment.

Therefore, a way to support climate action could be to emphasise the co-benefits of environmental policy, for instance, positive employment effects of the transition to renewable energy sources,” the researcher said in a statement. — ETX Studio