December 10, 2021 View all news Commenting on the Environmental Protection Agency's new report "Climate Change in the Irish Mind", Deirdre Duff, Communications Manager with Friends of the Earth said: “The scientific and ethical imperative for climate action has been clear for a long time. What’s striking about this report is that it reveals a political imperative for climate action now too. A huge majority of the Irish public want the Government to make climate action a high priority and believe it will have a positive impact on jobs and quality of life. The main political parties now have a clear mandate for climate action - there is a strong suggestion too that we’ve reached a point where delayed climate action will be punished in the polls. The report’s overall findings did not reveal huge differences between rural and urban attitudes on climate - indicating that narratives portraying rural-urban divides on this issue are being exaggerated by the media and by vested interest groups. It is interesting too that only 9% of people think Ireland is too small to make a difference - again showing that this often cited argument against climate action holds little sway with the general public. There’s no doubt about it, this report is a treasure trove of information on Irish attitudes and beliefs on climate change. We should pay careful attention to it - it is surely essential reading for politicians and the media in particular.” Categorised in: Climate Change