Following the publication of the government’s Climate Action Plan, Uplift members were surveyed on their opinions and attitudes to the climate emergency — nearly 3000 people across Ireland took the survey — and here is a look at the results.
Record-breaking floods. Deadly heatwaves. Billions of euros of crops destroyed by storms — people in Ireland are worried about what’s happening in the world and about what it’s going to take to tackle the climate crisis before it’s too late.
This is evident by 93% of respondents answering that they are very concerned about climate change:
How concerned are you about climate change?
More than three-quarters of the people who responded to the survey want to do more and take more personal action in the fight against climate change:
How prepared are you to take more personal action?
The government is promising real action to tackle the climate emergency facing us all but they are under huge pressure from fossil fuel lobbyists and sometimes they talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.
Here at Uplift, we have a chance to shape what happens next — and what decisions politicians make that will affect every aspect of our lives. The aim of our survey was to find out what is important to our members so that we can make informed decisions on how our people-powered community will fight to protect what we care about — our children’s futures, our livelihoods, insects, seas and trees.
This survey was really useful in helping decide what’s important and gathered important opinions that Uplift members hold about the Climate Action Plan and what we should campaign on together.
The three main proposals in the Climate Action Plan that respondents would most like to see put into action were to
- grow more trees
- ban single-use plastics
- sell solar energy back to the national grid.
Since the government launched their plan — we can match them with our own leadership and people power and hold their promises to account. Together we can steer them towards actions that are fair and don’t put the biggest share of the burden on poorer people and communities.
Uplift members have a track record of holding politicians feet to the fire on promises they’ve made. Now is our chance to pull together and fight for policies and changes that help guarantee a future for us all — especially our children and grandchildren.
Following on from this successful survey, we’ve launched a new survey which we hope will dig deeper into what action Uplift members want to take so that we can make plans for our 2020 campaigns. You can take the new survey here:
https://action.uplift.ie/surveys/eoy-climate-survey-2019
NOTES
[1] Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment: Climate Action Plan
[2] The Independent: Leo needs to get business aboard climate action bus
[3] Department of Communications, Climate Action & Environment: Climate Action Plan, Annex of Actions