According to a study on sustainable development in northern Norway, the number of Norwegians who consider climate change to be the most serious problem facing society has decreased compared to last year, writes Kommunikasjon on May 27.
For the second year in a row, the largest study in the field of sustainable development was carried out in Norway. Banks belonging to the SpareBank 1 alliance studied the attitudes and actions of municipalities, companies and individuals across Norway. In total, the work included data from 6,089 people, 1,718 business executives and 253 of the country’s 357 municipalities responded to various surveys.
In northern Norway, 1,223 people and 525 company managers were surveyed, and representatives from 53 municipalities responded via a web form. The results are evaluated by gender, age, geographic location and company size, among others. The survey was conducted between January and March 2024 by Sentio Research for the SpareBank 1 Alliance.
Nearly six in 10 northerners agree with the UN climate commission’s conclusion that climate change is largely caused by human activity. However, only four in ten believe that their own consumption has an impact on climate change.
Thus, 29% of residents reduced consumption for climatic and environmental reasons, while 54% did so for own savings reasons.
Almost half of those surveyed are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products and services. Women tend to be more conscious than men when it comes to choosing eco-friendly products and services, and the gender gap is especially wide when it comes to seeking out brands that are climate- and labor-friendly when purchasing clothing.
Seven out of ten Norwegians in the north of the country prefer locally produced goods and services. In the rest of the country, six out of ten respond the same way.
Energy labeling of houses is important to provide information on the degree of energy efficiency of a house, what energy sources can be used for heating and how to improve the energy efficiency of a house. One in three homeowners in northern Norway have implemented energy-saving measures in their home over the past three years. At the same time, only one in four people knows what energy class their home has.
Northern companies do not consider sustainability strategically important. Less than half of the companies surveyed consider sustainable development to be strategically important. This is 4% less than in the 2023 study.
On the other hand, 42% of companies have specific emissions reduction objectives. It is often large companies, both in terms of numbers and turnover, that work the most on sustainability and sustainable restructuring.
15% of companies in northern Norway maintain climate reports showing emissions throughout the year. This is the same as for companies in the rest of the country.
Companies purchase used goods or recycled materials only to a limited extent. Furthermore, there are very few municipalities in northern Norway that prefer to buy second-hand goods.
There are more municipalities in the region than last year that have climate accounts, specific emissions reduction goals and those that have made or are planning changes to their service delivery model in response to climate change. A total of 47% of municipalities consider ecological standards to be the most important factor.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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