Filenews 29 October 2022
The majority of Cypriots support the acceleration of the green transition, as 76% believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences should give additional impetus to these efforts (compared to 66% in the EU), according to the results of the latest annual European Investment Bank (EIB) climate survey, which was held across the European Union in August and published this week.
According to the findings of the survey, 90% of Cypriots say they believe the world is heading for disaster if energy and goods consumption does not fall drastically in the coming years, 65% said they are in favour of adjusting energy prices according to consumption per household and 60% said they believe that the prices of highly polluting goods and services, like SUVs and air travel, should be increased in proportion to the pollution they cause.
According to an EIB press release, while last year one of the biggest challenges for Cypriots was the COVID-19 pandemic, this year is dominated by concerns about inflation, which is cited as the main concern by 83% compared to 36% in the EU. However, 78% of Cypriots say they feel the effects of climate change on their daily lives.
However, about 89% of Cypriots believe that the Government reacts too slowly and only 30% believe that Cyprus will be able to significantly reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 2030.
In response to a question about what their priorities are in terms of the energy sector, 70% replied that they expect the Government to focus on the development of renewable energy sources, before focusing on diversification of energy supply to avoid over-reliance on a single energy provider (21%).
Also, regarding measures to reduce energy consumption, 60% of Cypriots stated that they are in favour of a strict taxation of highly polluting goods and services, such as SUVs and air transport, while 65% said that they support the adjustment of energy prices to the level of consumption per household, i.e. the more a household consumes, the more expensive energy becomes.
However, only 4% of Cypriots said that if they were asked to lower the temperature in their homes in the winter they would accept a ceiling of 19°C (24 percentage points below the European average of 28%). 42% of Cypriots say they already can't afford to heat their home properly.
Regarding what measures should be taken to address high energy prices, 37% of Cypriots believe that in the short term the Government should give priority to reducing energy-related taxes, 24% support limiting or regulating the price of natural gas, oil and coal and 21% agree with granting energy vouchers.
In a statement, EIB Vice-President Liliana Pavlova pointed out that the results of the survey show that Cypriots believe that accelerating renewables is a priority in the fight against the global energy and climate crisis.
"At the EIB, we have for many years supported innovative investments in clean energy, such as the construction of offshore wind farms and more energy-efficient social housing. We stand ready to use all advisory and financial means at our disposal to support Cyprus in a just transition to green energy that leaves no one behind," he added.
More than 28,000 people participated in the survey, with a sample of 500 people in Cyprus.
Source: CNA
