A new Epson sustainability survey reveals a significant and worrying gap between the perceptions of climate change and the severity of the emergency: a high percentage of Israelis completely deny the climate crisis we are all witnessing
Epson Global Sustainability Survey – "Climate Reality Barometer" - which also included Israel, reveals a dangerous gap between the climate reality as people experience it on a daily basis and the way people understand the catastrophic effects of this reality.
When asked their opinion regarding humanity's ability to avoid a climate crisis during their lifetime, nearly half of the Israeli respondents (43%) were optimistic about this, compared to 25% who were very pessimistic. In the rest of the world, the picture is quite similar - (46%) said they were "very" or "somewhat" optimistic. This number far exceeds only 27% of all respondents who said they were very pessimistic, or somewhat pessimistic about it. Conclusion: Israelis apparently repress what they see around them, or in the news releases.
The survey documented how 15,264 respondents from across Asia, Europe and America experience and perceive climate change. The purpose of Epson's survey is to increase public awareness of the effects of climate change, influence business decisions and better inform policy makers.
When it comes to the most popular reasons supporting this optimism, Israelis seem to trust technology to save them - with 29.5% believing in a transition to renewable energy (compared to 19% in the rest of the world), the use of science and technology to find solutions (28.1% - almost the same as the rest of the world) and the belief that there will be public awareness is increasing (22.1% - much less than the rest of the world, where it is 32%).
How many Israelis deny the climate crisis in the first place? According to the study, 8% of Israeli respondents do not really believe that there is a climate emergency in the first place, which places it among the countries with the highest percentage of deniers among the countries surveyed, along with the United States (11%), Germany (7%) and the United Kingdom (6%). ) stand at the top of the list with us..
The findings of Epson's "Climate Reality Barometer" point to a triumph of optimism over the evidence and a damaging gap in perception of climate reality.
According to Yaron Peretz, business sales manager at Epson Israel, while the reality of the climate emergency is unfolding before our eyes, the fact that so many people do not recognize it, or even deny its existence in practice, is a real concern. "This is a wake-up call for everyone - governments, businesses and people, that everyone should encourage the implementation of the necessary actions to minimize climate change."
Reality check: understanding versus action
From the 'barometer' it appears that optimism may be the result of not recognizing climate change, and as a result, also its dimensions. In Israel, in particular, the main causes of the climate crisis are identified as extreme weather and fires and high temperatures (71%), with only 33.3% aware of the problems of mass migration and hunger.
It seems that Israelis do not particularly recognize personal responsibility for the climate crisis - only 12.2% considered themselves personally responsible, similar to China and Germany (11%).
While people are ready to make lifestyle changes to deal with the climate crisis, some are in no rush to act. In Israel, 50% agreed to reduce business and leisure travel. In the rest of the world, 65% and in practice 40% have reduced. In Israel 55.7% agree to make the switch to electric vehicles in practice 19.4% slightly more than the global numbers (16%). In Israel, 51.5% agree with the idea of confiscating unsustainable brands (compared to 63% globally), in practice only 18.6% (compared to 29% globally), and 19% said they would not do so in the future either.
In a slightly more optimistic view, Israelis do already take a number of ecological actions in quite high numbers - 53.5% improved their recycling habits: 50.5% reduced the use of plastic and 45.1% walk or ride a bicycle more often.
Only 14% of the respondents think that the crisis is the fault of the big companies
The 'Climate Reality Barometer' indicates that for many, the climate crisis is still something that happens to someone else.
As the survey reveals that only 14% of respondents see big business as primarily responsible for dealing with the climate emergency, and only 3% attribute this responsibility to small companies (less than 5% of climate change deniers), this also suggests that now is the time for companies of all sizes to play a role bigger. Companies can empower other businesses and consumers through innovations that support sustainability.
For example, at Epson, this is reflected in the development of initiatives to reduce the impact of the company's customers on the climate through the use of heat-free and highly energy-efficient printing technology; and R&D in the field of environmental technologies such as naturally produced (non-synthetic) materials.
Beyond innovation in products and materials, businesses can make a big difference by promoting and demonstrating climate responsibility.
Epson promotes this by: moving to 100% renewable energy and involvement in initiatives such as the RE100 renewable energy project; promoting product renovation and product reuse; and involvement in high-impact partnerships such as working with National Geographic to prevent global warming.
According to Epson's global president, Yasunori Ogawa, the discovery of the gap in the perception of climate reality shows that awareness, combined with action, will be essential to deal with the emergency. "Epson's goal is to generate that awareness and the technologies needed – by our company, businesses and other consumers – to bring about transformative change. Sustainability is a central component of our business plan and is backed by significant resources - because even though we know there is still a long way to go, we believe we can build a better future."
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Note, warming in the range of 50-100 years will probably cause more harm than good (certainly in Israel) but from here until defining the situation as an emergency/crisis/catastrophic effects is very, very excessive
Assuming you are talking to me, my father, the response is the same
Mass extinction in my understanding is already happening now regardless of climate, the effects of extinction are hard to predict
But it is hard to believe that there is a real risk to humans here (with the exception of the extinction of bees)
Do you know the amount of refugees that results from the changes of the gods? She is not for me
The biggest source of refugees near Israel (perhaps the biggest source in the world) is called Syria and the refugees there are not exactly refugees because of the climate
The same is true for refugees in Shiral, the people from Eritrea and Sudan are here not because of climate problems
And a mass extinction on the scale of the age of the dinosaurs? And climate refugees?
The world is indeed warming, it is not clear how this is a "crisis" (and no, the intensification of extreme weather events is not really a crisis, nor is the rise of the sea level a crisis) and it is not clear that it will not be possible to handle this with any technology in another 50-100 years
Apparently you must not present or think a little outside the mainstream, because then you may be considered a "denier" or a "stupid".
Do all those nodding their heads really understand the subject? Really really not. I listen to the "scholars" of the various channels, which is simple
Inundated with so much media noise and that they have no idea what things are supposed to be other than the fact that they are terrible
Want to belong to the herd and be considered serious. There are also nuances and not everything is black and white. The gray cells are allowed
make a little effort and think!!!!!!!!!!
The survey shows one unfortunate and well-known fact
The absolute majority of the world's inhabitants in general
And the Israelis in particular are in a situation of
Abyssal ignorance that accompanies it
Stupidity that clouds their senses,
Worrying on so many levels