 (NaturalNews) A Harris Interactive poll carried out in Germany, France, the U.K., Italy and Spain for the Financial Times found that an overwhelmingly large number of Europeans believe humans are contributing to global warming, and would be willing to accept lifestyle restrictions to help control it.
According to the poll, 86 percent of the respondents felt that humans were a direct cause of climate change, and 45 percent believed it could be a threat to them and their families within their lifetimes. Sixty-eight percent said they would either strongly or somewhat support limitations on their purchasing and behavior in support of combating global warming, although when the poll addressed specific restrictions, support was weaker.
When respondents were asked about an additional charge for airline flights in order to counteract the environmental damage, only 43 percent were either strongly or somewhat in favor, while 36 percent either strongly or somewhat opposed such a move. Around 25 percent said they were willing to pay a week's wages -- about 2 percent of the national income figure that would be needed from rich countries, according to World Bank Chief Economist Sir Nicholas Stern -- in order to combat global warming, but 33 percent said they would not pay anything.
More attention has been turned toward climate change in the European political arena than overseas, bolstered by reports such as that written by Stern, arguing that the economic impact of global warming could be significantly greater than the costs of acting to prevent it.
The concerns about global warming and possible energy shortages have not turned into support for nuclear power, according to the poll. Only 30 percent of Europeans were strongly or somewhat in favor of investing in new nuclear capacity, while 46 percent were strongly or somewhat opposed.
The poll found a large gender bias on the subject, as men in France, Italy, and the U.K. were in support of building new nuclear plants, while women were against it in every country except the U.K., where most were neither for nor against.
Although only 29 percent of the French respondents were in favor of nuclear expansion, the country is beginning construction on a new reactor next year. Current anti-nuclear attitudes in Spain and Germany show no signs of weakening, however, as 53 percent of Germans and 62 percent of Spaniards remained in opposition of new nuclear building.
The polled Europeans leaned toward renewables as the environmental solution -- 85 percent were in favor of their governments spending more on such materials -- and the support was even stronger in France and Spain, where 90 percent were in favor of investment in renewables.
The poll respondents were not optimistic that Russia could provide reliable energy, as only 21 percent thought the country would be able to supply sufficient oil and gas in the future and 35 percent did not. A summit on the subject between leaders of the European Union and Russia will take place at the end of this week.
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