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Climate Change Affects More than Half of Greeks’ Travel Decisions

©EIB

All the more Greeks are taking climate change seriously with more than half taking it into consideration when planning where to travel, according to the findings of a European Investment Bank (EIB) study released this week.

Part II of the 2021-2022 EIB Climate Survey found that nearly 80 percent of Greeks feel they are doing all they can to fight climate change in their daily lives, but the majority believe that their compatriots are not doing the same.

This is in line with a previous Eurobarometer study, according to which 84 percent of Greeks believe climate change is a very serious problem affecting the planet (above the EU average of 76 percent), with more than half (58 percent) saying they had already taken individual action to combat climate change. 

Travel and climate change

Travel and climate change are now being considered together, with 67 percent of Greeks considering climate change when choosing a holiday destination, the EIB report found.

More specifically, 65 percent of young Greeks say they consider climate change when choosing their holiday destination while half (49 percent compared to 40 percent for those aged 30-64 and 31 percent for people aged 65 and older) say they will fly for their summer holidays this year.

-One-fifth or 20 percent (compared to 18 percent for those aged 30-64 and 11 percent of those aged 65+) say they will fly to a faraway destination.

Photo source: EIB

Other key findings for Greece reveal that:

-81 percent of Greek car buyers say they will choose either a hybrid or electric car the next time they buy a vehicle (14 points above the EU average), while 19 percent said would still opt for a petrol or diesel car. Greek car buyers seem more inclined to choose an electric car (40 percent) compared to other Europeans (28 percent) and a hybrid vehicle (41 percent) compared to Europeans in general (39 percent).

– 14 percent of Greek study participants said they do not have such a vehicle now and are not planning to buy one but would opt for a hybrid or electric vehicle if they did. Greeks seem more inclined to switch to new car technologies compared to Europeans on average (67 percent).

– 48 percent of younger-generation Greeks (15-29 years old) consider climate change when looking for a job and 42 percent in the 30-64 age bracket.

-44 percent of young Greeks already buy second-hand clothes while 29 percent overall do the same (13 points below the EU average) with women more likely to do so than men (35 percent for women over 23 percent men).

50 percent of Greeks consider climate change when they select a bank or invest their savings.

“Despite some clear generational gaps, Greek people are increasingly adapting their mobility and consumption habits in a more sustainable manner to tackle climate change,” said EIB Vice-President Christian Kettel Thomsen

“These shifts in individual behavior show that people of all ages are willing to make stronger commitments in their daily lives to help mitigate the climate crisis,” he added.

The Greek government had placed transitioning to greener alternatives at the center of its policies. Earlier this month, the transport ministry announced that it would be subsidizing the purchase of electric taxis as part of the “Green Taxi” program and has test run an electric bus in Athens as part of an extensive overhaul of the public transportation. Spearheading the drive is the Astypalea E-mobility Project which was launched on the Dodecanese island and in collaboration with Volkswagen Group includes replacing its current transport system with electric vehicles and renewable power generation.

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About the Author
Chicago-born and raised, Maria Paravantes has over two decades of journalistic experience covering tourism and travel, gastronomy, arts, music and culture, economy and finance, politics, health and social issues for international press and media. She has worked for Reuters, The Telegraph, Huffington Post, Billboard Magazine, Time Out Athens, the Athens News, Odyssey Magazine and SETimes.com, among others. She has also served as Special Advisor to Greece’s minister of Foreign Affairs, and to the mayor of Athens on international press and media issues. Maria is currently a reporter, content and features writer for GTP Headlines.
  1. John Zoumboulis Reply

    Can someone explain to me how we went from global warming to climate change? I would like to know seriously.

    • Clément Reply

      Global warming is at the scale of the planet, but it causes climate change, this means more extreme natural phenomenon (heat, cold, snow, rain…). What happened last week in Greece is a good example: the exceptional snow storms we had (even more than exceptional snow storms we had last year) are a good example of climate change more than global warming.

  2. Clément Reply

    With the explosion of plastic containers for take-away coffee, abandoned then anywhere including in the nature, the huge comsumption of plastic bags in local markets for example, the little to no consideration for waste management, unauthorized dump, the extensive use of private cars in urban areas with public transportation just to give a few examples, I can’t really believe that “80 percent of Greeks feel they are doing all they can to fight climate change in their daily lives”…

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