A majority of Cypriots support accelerating the green transition, with 76% believing that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath should give additional impetus to these efforts (compared to 66% in the EU), according to the results of the European Investment Bank's (EIB) latest annual climate survey, which was conducted across the European Union in August and was published this week.
According to the findings of the survey, 90% of Cypriots state that they believe that the world is headed for disaster if the consumption of energy and goods is not drastically reduced in the coming years, 65% said they are in favor of adjusting energy prices according to consumption per household, and 60% said they believed the prices of highly polluting goods and services, such as SUVs and air travel, should rise in proportion to the pollution they cause.
According to with a press release from the EIB, while last year one of the biggest challenges for Cypriots was the COVID-19 pandemic, this year concerns over inflation are cited as the main concern by 83% compared to 36% in the EU. However, 78% of Cypriots state that they feel the effects of climate change in their daily lives.
However, approximately 89% of Cypriots believe that the Government is reacting too slowly and only 30% believe that Cyprus will manage to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
When asked what their priorities are in the energy sector, 70% said they expect the Government to focus on the development of renewable energy sources, before focusing on diversifying the energy supply to avoid over-reliance on one only energy provider (21%).
Also, in terms of measures to reduce energy consumption, 60% of Cypriots said they were in favor of strict taxation of particularly polluting goods and services, such as SUVs and aviation, while 65% said they support adjusting energy prices to the level of household consumption, meaning the more a household consumes, the more expensive energy becomes.
However, only 4% of Cypriots said that if they were asked to reduce the temperature in their homes in winter they would accept a maximum of 19°C (24 percentage points below the European average of 28%). 42% of Cypriots state that they already cannot afford to properly heat their home.
Regarding what measures should be taken to deal with high energy prices, 37% of Cypriots believe that in the short term the Government should prioritize reducing energy-related taxes, 24% support limiting or regulating price of natural gas, oil and coal and 21% agree with the granting of coupons for energy.
In her statement, EIB vice-president Liliana Pavlova pointed out that the results of the survey show that Cypriots believe that accelerating renewable energy is a priority to combat the global energy and climate crisis.
“At the EIB we have been supporting innovative clean energy investments for many years, such as the construction of offshore wind farms and more energy efficient worker housing. We are ready to use all the advisory and financial means at our disposal to support Cyprus in a fair transition to green energy that leaves no one behind” he added.
Over 28 participated in the survey thousands of people, with a sample of 500 people in Cyprus.
