COP26: Italians worried about global climate change but not always well informed

ENEA survey yields divergent results - The alarm of the climatologist Sannino

Aware of climate change, quite concerned about reducing their impact on the environment, but not always well informed about causes, possible effects and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at national and international level, as shown from the survey SALLO! (ClimateWakeUp!Quiz) launched by ENEA, whose outcomes were presented on the occasion of the COP26 in Glasgow.

But what do Italians know about climate? As regards  Climate and global warming,  nine out of 10 answered the question correctly "Earth’s climate has always changed but that has been accelerating since the early 1900s". Almost everyone believes that melting of glaciers (97%) and sea level rise (86%) are caused by climate change; but only 42% answered correctly to the question "The 2003 heat wave is attributable to a rapidly warming planet" and 32% to the question "Climate change and growing anthropogenic pressure on the environment are among the causes of the COVID pandemic -19 ".

In terms of policies and strategies to combat climate change, almost 50% does not know the Paris Agreement or the dates of the COP26 in Glasgow, and 50% knows  the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan but not the 2030 decarbonisation targets. The Expectations and Good Practices section showed that many Italians have already adopted virtuous practices like separate waste collection (94%), reduction of plastic packaging  (53%) or plastic disposable (74%), water and energy consumption reduction(71%) and the purchase of local and seasonal food (79%).

However, respectively 21% and 19% of the participants were against cutting meat intake and flights. "The questionnaire, which includes 20 questions organized into 5 sections, was completed by over 1,300 respondents, mostly of Italian nationality, aged between 10 and over 80 with an average of 34, 60 % of whom did not exceed 40 years of age. We were glad to see that about 30% were aged between 10 and 20. The regions most involved were Emilia-Romagna, Lazio and Puglia, the provinces Rome and Bologna ", explained Melania Michetti, ENEA researcher at the Models and Technologies for the Reduction of Anthropic Impacts and Natural Risks Division who developed the survey.

Errors and stereotypes

“This survey has provided us with interesting information on the most widespread beliefs on climate change, highlighting misinterpretations and stereotypes,” Michetti continued. For example, 84% of participants believe (erroneously) that industry is the most polluting sector while this negative record belongs to the energy sector. Furthermore, only 21% is aware that agriculture is among the largest carbon emission  sectors, immediately after the energy sector. 42% of correct answers showed a certain awareness that waste treatment is one of the sectors that produces the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

94% of the participants answered correctly (false) that “Animals and plants will not be affected by climate change thanks to their ability to adapt”; while only 43% knows that "in Italy, the impact of climate change can affect up to 8% of per capita GDP". There is also a good level of awareness that climate change will not favor coastal tourism (91% of correct answers), but instead the number of environmental migrants will increase (81%); less well known, however, is that there will be positive effects on some crops (62%), and that, among the possible effects, it will also be possible to observe the variation of water trade routes (34%).

As for Sector and Country contributions  to greenhouse gas emissions, it’s a well-known fact that China is among the biggest absolute producers of greenhouse gas while the United States has the highest emissions per capita; what’s less known is that China has relatively low emissions per capita relative to its population, together with Europe and India, and that the countries with the highest emissions per capita are, in order, the USA, Russia and Japan.

The alarm from the ENEA climatologist

"The results of the survey are being presented at the COP26 in Glasgow, which should mark a further step forward following the 2015 Paris climate agreements. At this UN summit we expect the leaders of the strongest economies which rank the top greenhouse gas emitters to suggest concrete and measurable actions to curb greenhouse gas emissions ", said Gianmaria Sannino, head of the ENEA Climate Modeling and Impacts Laboratory" Currently pledges of worldwide countries for greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 are not enough to hold warming below the 2°C goal.

There is no time to waste: Earth's temperature has already risen by 1.1 ° C, according to the latest IPCC report ", Sannino said.

COP26 President Alok Sharma said this summit is the world's last chance to act on the climate crisis. And, while it might seem too stern a statement, there is no doubt that a success in terms of concrete actions presented at the COP26 would put the world in a better position to tackle the growing threat of climate change. Conversely, failure would cause a disastrous setback and we cannot afford it. In this context, it becomes key to raise public awareness and consolidate knowledge of the causes and consequences of climate change, strengthening the dialogue between science and civil society. Precisely the goal that ENEA is set to pursue with our survey", Sannino concluded.

“Video excerpts” of the  SALLO!Quiz:

For more information please contact:

Gianmaria Sannino, ENEA - Climate Modelling and Impacts Laboratory , gianmaria.sannino@enea.it

Melania Michetti, ENEA – Models and Technologies for the Reduction of Anthropic Impacts and Natural Risks, melania.michetti@enea.it