A Climate for Change

(^22) Public Perceptions/ Knowledge about Climate Change Human Development Report - Croatia 2008
Public Perceptions/ Knowledge about Climate Change
Chapter 2 Summary
A public that is well-informed about climate-related threats and measures to address
them is crucial. This is because mitigation and adaptation to climate change cannot occur
without changes in individual behaviour and public support for political decisions.
For the purposes of this Report, UNDP Croatia carried out the first comprehensive national
public survey on public attitudes towards climate change in Croatia. The results show that
Croatians have a very high level of concern for the environment – higher even than in
many EU member states.
Croatians believe that climate change is a serious problem, especially in the coastal re-
gions where it is likely to have more impact. However, they generally only recognise the
direct impacts of climate change as being a threat, such as impacts on health. They do not
associate climate change with indirect impacts to society, such as potential damage to
food production or changes to the energy production system due to restrictive mitigation
measures or a loss of hydropower.
Furthermore, while Croatians believe they are highly knowledgeable about climate
change, actual knowledge about the causes and effects of climate change is not that high.
The media – especially television – has a key role to play in informing the public about cli-
mate change issues. Most Croatians obtain information about the environment from the
media rather than from the internet, friends or family, or school/ university – even more
so than in EU member states.
Most Croatians are very supportive of proactive solutions to reduce emissions by Croatian
industries and the Government. They also believe that the Government and companies
that produce emissions should be most responsible for reducing emissions.
Additionally, a large majority of Croatians claim that they already take environmentally
friendly actions and are willing to take further action in the future. Many also state they
are willing to pay extra to make sure the energy they use for electricity and transport
comes from environmentally friendly sources. This willingness to act and to pay is higher
than in most EU countries. Because of this, public education and programmes encourag-
ing efficiency, environmentally responsible behaviour and environmentally responsible
purchasing, can be used to motivate people to become involved in issues related to cli-
mate change.