Public concerns about the environment hit record in UK | Environment



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Public concerns about the environment have reached record levels in the UK since Greta Thunberg's visit to Parliament and protests for the April extinction rebellion.

The environment is now cited by citizens as the third most pressing issue facing the country with respect to data from the survey company YouGov created in 2010. The environment was ranked after Brexit and health, but it is ahead of the economy, crime and immigration.

Young people are putting even more emphasis on environmental issues such as the climate crisis and the global destruction of wildlife, placing them second only to Brexit. Nearly half of 18-24 year olds chose environmental issues as one of the country's three most pressing concerns, compared with 27% of the general population.

Graphic for YouGov poll on what people think is most urgent for the UK

A similar concern occurred in Germany, where the Green Party performed particularly well in the European Parliament elections last month.

In the EU as a whole, the number of Green MPs has increased by 40% to 69, making it the fourth largest group. In the UK, the number of Green MEPs rose from three to seven and the party got more votes than the Conservatives.

Thunberg, a Swedish teenager whose school strike against climate change helped to create a global movement, told MEPs in April that the UK government's active support for fossil fuels and airport expansion was "beyond absurd ".

She added, "This irresponsible permanent behavior will undoubtedly be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humanity."

The Extinction Rebellion activists also staged a week of large-scale protests, mainly in the capital, during which roads were blocked and more than 1,000 people were arrested. On May 1, MPs approved a workers' motion to declare a formal climate and environmental emergency.

The previous record for the environment in YouGov's follow-up data was 23% in February 2014, following extreme winter storms and floods in Somerset Levels and other parts of southern Somalia. ;England. However, bad weather conditions have not exceeded the concern, the number of people worried about the environmental degradation within two weeks.

Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said: "Nearly half of British young people consider the environment as one of their main concerns, and this is not surprising. They can see governments making decisions about their future that take no account of our climate emergency.

"By sounding the alarm about the state of our environment, we are the part of the good side of the story. We are now aiming to commit ourselves to take action in this national emergency. "

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