Focus on climate protection remains despite pandemic

Environmental issues and climate protection top the agenda for people in northern Germany, according to a study on the NEW 4.0 - North German energy transition carried out with the IPSOS market research institute in late 2019. A total of 1,000 people were interviewed in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. Climate protection remains important to the entire German population amid the ongoing corona crisis, another study by IPSOS, published in April 2020, has found. More than two thirds of respondents said that climate change is as serious a crisis in the long term as the current COVID-19 pandemic.

"The results of both studies show that the topic of climate change has not receded in the minds of the population despite the current corona crisis," said Prof. Dr. Werner Beba, co-ordinator of NEW 4.0 and head of the Competence Center for Renewable Energies & Energy Efficiency (CC4E) at HAW Hamburg. "We also see this as a challenge not to let up in our projects for effective climate protection and the feasibility of the energy transition. The present need to support business should be combined with investment incentives for effective climate protection."

However, the study on the acceptance of NEW 4.0 also revealed growing scepticism about achieving the goals of the energy transition. Around 65 per cent of those surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with the credibility of the political objectives, 60 per cent criticized the lack of speed and 55 per cent were dissatisfied with the commitment shown by politicians.

"Our survey shows that climate protection is important for people, but many people are very dissatisfied with current political actions," said Beba. "More and more companies and citizens are calling for a more determined approach to climate protection. The great political and social solidarity that unites us in dealing with the corona crisis is also needed for climate protection and energy transition."
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