Climate change feared by most in survey first
THE overwhelming majority of people who responded to questions about climate change were worried about it, the first Swansea Council survey of its kind has found.
Cancelling the popular Wales National
Airshow was even suggested as a way of making a difference.
The council received 967 responses to a set of questions it asked the public, with 64% of respondents saying they were very concerned and 29% fairly concerned about climate change.
And 64% of those who replied said they were prepared to make changes to help Swansea become a “net zero” city by 2050, which the council wants to encourage. Net zero means emissions would be driven down, with remaining ones offset via tree-planting and renewable energy schemes.
A cabinet report about the survey findings said: “There was a huge variety of passionate, intelligent but often conflicting suggestions.
“The tension between the need for development to meet the need of a growing population and protection of the natural environment and resources was another recurring theme.”
Nearly three-quarters of survey respondents said they had made conscious changes to reduce their carbon footprint since the Covid pandemic.
But people called for more information, plus grants and funding, to make the changes needed for net zero.
Swansea Council itself wants to become a net zero authority by 2030 in areas it has some control over, such as planning and council vehicles, so the survey specifically listed 10 actions and asked people about them. The report will be discussed by cabinet tomorrow.