With the world's climate changes becoming impossible to ignore, many living in EU Member States are taking a growing interest in the environmental credentials of companies – especially when looking for a job, the European Investment Bank's (EIB) annual climate survey reveals.
In Belgium, over half of the survey's respondents take a company's impact on the climate into consideration during the job hunt. The EIB's annual climate survey was released on Tuesday, the day after the IPCC issued a final warning, calling on governments to decisively step up efforts to combat global warming. If the EIB's findings are anything to go by, EU citizens are taking note – especially the younger population.
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76% of those aged between 20 and 30 will take a company's impact on the environment into account when looking for a job. Moreover, two-thirds of all EU respondents are in favour of stricter government measures which would result in changes to individual behaviour.
The survey also considered views on food production, which generated close to 400 million tonnes of CO2 in 2020 according to the European Environment Agency. The EIB found that 79% of respondents were in favour of labelling all food products with their impact on the environment; 62% of them are willing to pay more for climate-friendly food.
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In Belgium, a majority of respondents appreciated the EU's growing concern about climate change, with Belgians placing climate change as one of the three biggest issues they currently face. 62% also believe that their behaviour could help protect the environment, with 59% calling on authorities to put in place policies that would force Belgians to change their habits.
Half of Belgians overall see the climate impact of a potential future employer as an important factor during their job search, which shows "that Belgians are willing to contribute, at their level, to the fight against climate change," said EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters.
