Sustainable Development. Sustainable finance. Sustainable tech.

It’s obvious that sustainability is on the rise. But what do people truly think of sustainability & climate change? To understand the global perception of sustainability, we look to the findings of EDF’s Obs’COP Analysis for 2023, providing valuable insights about trends and challenges in sustainability worldwide.

What is the Obs’COP Analysis? — Methodology and Overview

Every year, EDF produces an international report on opinions, knowledge, expectations and sentiments of the global community with regards to sustainability. All of which aims to support research for future solutions. The report spans 29 countries across 5 continents, effectively representing two-thirds of the world’s population.

Being a topic that’s rapidly growing in popularity, representation in climate change opinion is important to highlight collective shortfalls we can work on — such as climate skepticism and citizen mobilization which is explored in the report.

What do people care about? — Priorities and Concerns about Climate Change

As we look at the data more closely, it’s clear that climate change emerges as the main environmental priority, particularly in the West and Asia. This is despite the inflation crisis and growing problems related to social issues such as security and migration, especially in Europe. Conversely, regions such as South America, Africa and the Middle East do not categorize climate change as a significant priority despite being heavily impacted by climate change.

Generally, economic concerns outweigh environmental issues. While concern about climate change have steadily been growing (due to higher environmental consciousness and worsening environmental conditions), immediate concerns such as pollution tend to be prioritized over long-term concerns. They pose more immediate consequences in the short-term, requiring drastic and urgent action.

Does this mean this will always be the case? The gradual up-take of emissions tracking and government regulation in many industries are forcing companies to look at the multi-faceted and complex relationship of capitalism and environment, which we think is a positive step in reconciling the economic and environmental needs.

Do we all think the same?- Divergence between individual concerns and generational divide.

Interestingly, there’s a disparity between the level of concern people have and the way they prioritize climate change. South America expresses high concern but low priority compared to Europe and North America. It’s puzzling that local climate disaster events, which disproportionately affects South America are found along with growing climate skepticism. This signals that there’s more than meets the eye when bridging perception and reality.

The level of individual concern about the climate is high, as 43% of respondents fall under the two highest levels (9–10), as seen in the in the chart below:

Additionally, there’s a generational gap in anxiety levels regarding climate change, with a decrease observed after the age of 65.

So what does this tell us? Putting out fires and addressing immediate economic and environmental consequences of climate change is the key priority of countries. However, the level of concern, priority and resources is distributed unequally across the globe. Despite growing environmental consciousness, we have to turn it into action — a.k.a transforming Brainprint to Handprint, to reduce our carbon footprint.

How’s the future looking? — Challenges & Opportunities to Seize

Despite progress made in many areas, the Obs’COP Analysis also reveals persistent challenges in sustainability. These include continued reliance on fossil fuels, growing social inequalities, and the need for a just transition to a greener economy. However, these challenges also present opportunities for innovation and collaboration for businesses and governments worldwide.

One of the first barriers to action is the inaction triangle. This graphic was developed to illustrate the fact that each side (government, companies, and citizens/consumers) put the blame on the other for not doing anything about the climate. This results in less actions taken for climate. The Obs’COP analysis highlighted this trend with the following figures:

1. “70% of citizens think that it is up to governments to take action”: meaning they don’t think changing their lifestyles would impact the ecological transition. Even though it’s true that government actions are crucial for reaching the Paris Agreement (1.5°C), it’s absolutely necessary for citizens to adapt their lifestyles as the world is already changing.

2. “In 5 years, we went from 53% to 46% of the population thinking changing lifestyles over trusting technology will help fight climate change”: it’s undeniable that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence or analytics will help fight against climate change and accelerate ecological transition. They offer new opportunities to improve energy efficiency, optimize production processes, and strengthen supply chain traceability. However, technology is an enabler, not a one-size fits all solution. We should not put all our hopes in them as many have not reached maturity or will need an enormous amount of resources to realize its full potential. In the meantime, adaptation and cultural change is something we can change to adapt to uncertainties that climate change poses.

Another challenge highlighted by the Obs’COP Analysis is the lack of Information. The study shows that lack of information about the causes of climate change could explain the lack of drive to limit individual carbon footprints. Indeed, for the very large majority of the public, the biggest CO2 emissions come from industry, fossil-fuel, transport, and deforestation. All areas where consumers have no control on them. On the other hand, agriculture and digital tech are underestimated even though their emissions depend on consumption patterns.

Conclusion: Towards a More Sustainable Future

In conclusion, EDF’s Obs’COP Analysis for the year 2023 sheds light on both the progress made and the persistent challenges in the pursuit of a more sustainable future.

A series of climate events have supported the idea that the changing climate will make life more difficult, make some places uninhabitable, or even cause migrations — which many countries take a dim view of.

Without being more worried, populations are calling on governments to act, but without wanting to give up their lifestyles. A sort of “yes, but…” applied to the fight for the climate.

Citizen-consumers feel that they are doing their part, and their efforts have in fact intensified, although sometimes more for economic reasons (individual travel, prioritizing seasonal fruits, buying second hand etc).

More than ever, governments are being urged to take action, adapt sustainable infrastructure to fuel green development without reducing the freedom to circulate or life.

The in-depth analysis provides valuable insight into perception of climate change worldwide. It’s time to turn it into action, by doing our part through individual effort and citizen participation.