Environmental policy
Survey: Climate crisis has less priority in employees
In view of the geopolitical crises, the climate heat in employees loses importance. They are more concerned about the preservation of jobs and social inequality, a survey shows.
According to a survey, concerns about the climate crisis only plays a subordinate role. Only a good tenth of the employee surveyed sees the most urgent social problem of achieving the climate protection goals. The survey carried out the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics (WZGE) on behalf of the corporate foundation of the energy group Eon.
This raises other social challenges in the perception of employees: reduce social inequality (17 percent), secure jobs (15 percent) and solve geopolitical conflicts (14 percent).
Majority does not want a lower pace in transformation
“People look more at economic and less ecological sustainability,” the authors of the survey write. In 2025, the proportion of respondents who describe the topic of “competitiveness” as a pressing social problem had tripled compared to 2022.
Nevertheless, there are still a large majority of those who are for more or at least constant pace in the climate -neutral conversion of industry. Almost half of them look at more speed than necessary, another 30 percent consider the previous pace to be sufficient. Every fifth respondent stated that the transformation should be driven more slowly.
“People see climate neutrality as an opportunity for the economy and not as an obstacle,” said Wzge boss Martin von Broock. “Therefore, they demand better incentives from politics instead of less effort.”
The WZGE has now carried out the survey for the third time. In February 2025, more than 2,000 current and future employees were interviewed. The survey was therefore carried out online.
Climate crisis is also less important at the political level
The climate crisis has recently lost its importance in world politics – not only because the United States has left the Paris climate agreement under President Donald Trump. For example, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that it would give European car builders a “breathing space” and to give them more time to comply with the EU climate protection requirements.
For example, if you do not comply with the requirements for 2025, you can compensate for this by overfilling in the following years. So far, the car manufacturers had to comply with the limit values annually.
In addition, the EU Commission checks the so-called combustion engine earlier than previously planned. EU transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas announced in Brussels that this review should take place this year and not as originally planned in 2026. In this review, no technology is excluded from the outset, emphasized Von der Leyen.
dpa
Source: Stern
