Three in four Lithuanians agree that human economic activity causes global warming, and 62.8 percent are ready to make lifestyle changes to contribute to climate change mitigation.
The poll found that younger people and those with higher education were more concerned about climate change and were also more open to lifestyle changes.
Vilmorus polled 1,002 adult residents of Lithuania on January 10-18.
Young people are most worried
Some 73.8 percent of respondents agreed or rather agreed with the statement that "Climate change poses is a threat to people of my generation". Another 18.3 percent disagreed, and eight percent had no opinion.
The level of perception of climate change as a threat among people aged up to 39 years (84.3 percent) and those with higher education (79.8 percent) was higher than the average among all respondents.
Scientists say climate change is causing a change in precipitation patterns, including the increasing frequency of heavy rains followed by drought periods, and of strong winds and squalls.
Increasingly contrasting weather conditions pose a threat to human health. Climate change is also blamed for the increasing pollution of water bodies, more frequent forest fires, heatwaves that affect the quality of roads and railway tracks ways and impede construction work, and droughts that hit farmers more frequently.
No doubt about human impact
Scientists agree that greenhouse gas producing human economic activity contributes to global warming.
The poll shows that the majority of Lithuanians do not question these findings.
Some 74.7 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that "Climate change is caused by human economic activity". Another 15 percent disagreed, and 10.4 percent had no opinion.
Older people were more likely to have no opinion on this issue, but otherwise the poll revealed no significant statistical differences.
Young people ready for change
Scientists say that climate change cannot be stopped completely, and people will have to adapt and change their lifestyle – from transport to food consumption.
Some 62.8 percent of those polled by Vilmorus said they were ready to change their lifestyle to contribute to climate change mitigation. Another 19.5 percent disagreed, and 17.8 percent had no opinion.
People aged up to 39 years and those with higher education were more likely to say they were ready for change, at 73.5 percent and 76.3 percent, respectively.
Meteorologists say that 2019 was the warmest year in Lithuania since records began, due largely to global climate change.
Lithuania, along with other EU member states, has recently committed to shift to a climate-neutral economy by 2050.
To achieve this goal, Lithuania should reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent, which will require major reforms in energy, transport, industry and agriculture.
Plans call for increasing the share of renewable energy sources in the overall energy mix and the efficiency of energy consumption, switching to environmentally-friendly cars, and reducing the use of mineral fertilizers and methane and nitrogen compounds in agriculture.