Poll: EU citizens’ concern for climate grows, most think green jobs can boost economy

BRUSSELS – A new survey shows that more than two-thirds of EU citizens see climate change as a very serious problem, and a vast majority think fighting it can create jobs and help the economy.

The poll says 68 per cent of the people in the EU consider climate change a serious threat, up from 64 per cent in 2009. And 78 per cent said fighting climate change could help jobs and the economy, up from 63 per cent two years ago.

Connie Hedegaard, the EU’s climate action commissioner, called the findings encouraging news Friday.

The poll was conducted in June and 26,840 people from all 27 EU countries were interviewed in person. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.