EU poll shows terrorism overtaking climate change as Malta’s top global problem

Concern on terrorism in Malta is obscuring other global concerns such as climate change, a survey published by the European Commission this week shows.

But despite being overtaken by other global problems, climate change is still seen as a very serious problem.

The percentage of Maltese who regard climate change as the world’s greatest problem has fallen from 30% in 2013 to 14% now as the percentage who regard terrorism as a top global problem has risen by 30 points. 

Malta registered the greatest increase in the percentage who regard terrorism as the greatest problem facing the globe.

The percentage of those who regard global poverty as the main global problem has fallen by 5 points in both Malta and the rest of Europe. Concern on the economic situation has fallen by 8 points in the EU and 9 points in Malta.

This emerges from an EU wide Eurobarometer survey conducted in May and June before the latest outrage in Paris. The results were published on Monday.

Concern on terrorism has risen in the EU by 11 points but concern on climate change has only decreased by a single point.

Terrorism was regarded as the greatest global problem only in Malta and the Czech Republic. Poverty was seen as the top global problem in 18 EU countries while climate change was seen as the greatest problem in Sweden, Denmark and Finland.  Armed conflict was seen as the greatest global problem in Latvia, Poland and Estonia while the economic situation was seen as the greatest global problem in Italy and Cyprus.

In Malta 46% now regard climate change as one of the four greatest problems facing the earth, 12 points fewer than in 2013.

Climate change a serious problem

But although the percentage who regard climate change as the world’s greatest problem has fallen, the Maltese still regard climate change as an important issue.

When asked which concrete action they have taken to tackle climate change, only a fifth of the Maltese – compared to an EU average of 36% – replied that they are using environmentally friendly alternatives to their car, such as walking, riding a bike, using public transport or car sharing.  

But while only 6% of EU citizens have installed renewable energy sources in their own homes, 16% of Maltese claim to have done so. But the Maltese are less likely to insulate their room – 13% compared to an EU mean of 23%.

More than three-quarters of the Maltese compared to 74% of EU members try to reduce their waste and regularly separate it for recycling. Six in ten buy locally produced seasonal food whenever possible (60%, compared with an EU average of 49%).

56% try to cut their use of disposable items whenever possible, just 1 point less than all EU citizens.

Seven in ten respondents in Malta say that climate change is a “very serious” problem (70%), 1 point more than the percentage of all EU citizens who express the same view.. 

Half of the respondents believe their national government is responsible for tackling climate change (50%, EU average: 42%). One fifth say they themselves have a responsibility for tackling climate change (20%, close to the EU average of 19%). 

Nearly six in ten respondents say they have taken some personal action to fight climate change in the past six months (58%, above the EU average of 49%).