- 65% believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences should accelerate the green transition.
- 71% say that, if we do not drastically reduce our consumption of energy and goods in the coming years, we will be heading for a global catastrophe.
- 58% are in favour of indexing energy prices to the level of consumption per household: the more you consume, the more expensive energy becomes.
- 53% are in favour of heavily taxing highly polluting goods and services such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and air transport.
These are some of the results from the latest yearly Climate Survey conducted in August 2022 and published today by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union and the world’s largest multilateral lender for climate action projects. The results of the EIB 2022 Climate Survey come at a critical time, just ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which will take place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 6 to 18 November 2022.
After a challenging year in which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked an ongoing energy crisis and accelerated inflation all over Europe, and a summer marked by record heatwaves and droughts, Lithuanians have become even more acutely aware of the impact of climate change and the need for urgent action.
Climate change awareness and urgency
While COVID-19 was considered the number one challenge for Lithuanians last year, concerns over inflation now predominate, with 67% citing it as their top concern, compared with 36% across the rest of the European Union.
Meanwhile, 64% of Lithuanians now say they feel the effects of climate change on their daily lives.
70% think that, if we do not drastically reduce our consumption of energy and goods in the coming years, we will be heading for a global catastrophe. At the same time, 76% feel that the government is reacting too slowly, and the majority (54%) think that Lithuania will not succeed in substantially reducing its carbon emissions by 2030.
War in Ukraine and the green transition
Most Lithuanians (65%) believe that the war in Ukraine and its consequences on the prices of oil and gas should accelerate the green transition (similar to the European average of 66%).
When asked to rank their energy priorities, Lithuanians expect their government to prioritise the development of renewable energies (50%) before focusing on energy supply diversification to avoid being overly reliant on a single provider (34%).
Energy savings are less of a priority according to most Lithuanians. Only 16% of them believe that citizens and companies must do more to reduce their own consumption (compared with the EU average of 19%).
Tackling climate change and addressing high energy prices
To reduce energy consumption, Lithuanians are in favour of indexing energy prices to the level of consumption per household (58%). They also support heavily taxing highly polluting goods and services such as SUVs and air transport (53%).
If Lithuanians were to lower the temperature in their homes this winter, 29% would accept capping it at 19° C (8 percentage points more than Latvians (21%)). Meanwhile, 25% of Lithuanians say that they already cannot afford to heat their homes properly.
Finally, on addressing high energy prices, Lithuanians think that in the short term the government should reduce energy-related taxes (42%). Other measures are less popular, such as capping or regulating the prices of gas, oil and coal (28%), or giving out energy vouchers (7%).
EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros said: “The results of the EIB 2022 Climate Survey show that Lithuanians believe that further developing renewable energy should be a priority in fighting the global energy and climate crisis. At the EIB we have been supporting innovative clean energy investments as well as energy-saving plans for many years, such as wind farms and more energy-efficient social housing. We stand ready to use our full range of advisory and financial instruments to support Lithuania in a just green energy transition that leaves no one behind.”
Background information
About the EIB Climate Survey
The European Investment Bank has launched the fifth edition of the EIB Climate Survey, a thorough assessment of how people feel about climate change. Conducted in partnership with the market research firm BVA, the fifth edition of the EIB Climate Survey aims to inform the broader debate on attitudes and expectations in terms of climate action. More than 28 000 respondents participated in the survey in August 2022, with a representative panel of people aged 15 and above for each of the 30 countries polled.
About the EIB
Since 2019, the EIB has accelerated its transformation into a climate bank by committing to devoting at least 50% of its financing from 2025 to investments that contribute to the fight against climate change and the mitigation of its effects.
About BVA
BVA is an opinion research and consulting firm recognised as one of the most innovative market research firms in its sector. Specialised in behavioural marketing, BVA combines data science and social science to make data inspiring and bring it to life. BVA is also a member of the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN), a global network of some of the world’s leading market research and survey players, with over 40 members.