Employers ' climate impact important to job hunters - report

The impact potential employers are having on the environment is an increasingly important factor to job hunters.

That 's according to the yearly European Investment Bank (EIB) Climate Survey, conducted in August 2022.

The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union and the world 's largest multilateral lender for climate action projects.

The survey release explores people 's views on climate change in a rapidly changing world, covering the EU27 as well as three other top CO₂ emitters - the United States, China and the United Kingdom.

The results focus on people 's individual behaviour and the actions they are taking to combat climate change.

The war in Ukraine and its consequences, including rising energy prices and inflation, have dramatically increased concerns about declining purchasing power in the United Kingdom.

However, climate change and environmental degradation remain among the country 's top three challenges, according to respondents, behind the increased cost of living and the financial crisis.

Moreover, two-thirds of respondents in the UK (66 per cent) are convinced that their own behaviour could make a difference in addressing the climate emergency (compared to 75 per cent in Germany, 69 per cent in the Netherlands and 63 per cent in France).

For many, the government has a role to play in encouraging individual behavioural change. A majority of respondents in the UK (66 per cent) are in favour of stricter government measures imposing a change in people 's behaviour to tackle climate change (74 per cent of respondents under 30 would welcome such measures).

A growing number of people entering the workforce each year are looking at employers ' climate credentials when job hunting. Most respondents in the UK (61%) say it is important that prospective employers prioritise sustainability. For 15% of respondents, it is even a top priority.

Of people aged 20 to 29 � typically those looking for their first or second job � more than two-thirds (73 per cent) say that sustainability is an important factor in their choice of employer, and 19 per cent say it is a top priority.

Over half of respondents in the UK (54 per cent) say they would be in favour of a carbon budget system that would allocate each individual a fixed number of yearly credits to be spent on items with a big carbon footprint (non-essential goods, flights, meat, etc).

This opinion is shared by French participants at nearly the same rate (57 per cent), while only 44 per cent of Dutch participants would be in favour. In contrast, 64% of Italian respondents say they would welcome such a system.

It is noteworthy that a majority of respondents in the UK favour this measure regardless of income (58 per cent of lower-income, 53 per cent of middle-income, and over 55 per cent of higher-income respondents).

Food production accounts for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. To help people make more sustainable choices when grocery shopping, 77 per cent of respondents in the UK are in favour of labelling all food products with their climate footprint.

This is six percentage points below the rate in France (83 per cent) but close to the rate in Germany (80 per cent).

In addition, 58 per cent of respondents in the UK say they would be willing to pay slightly more for food that is produced locally and more sustainably (similar to French and German respondents, with 60 per cent and 61 per cent, respectively).

This willingness to pay more for food spans all income groups (ranging from 55 per cent of lower-income to 64 per cent of higher-income respondents).

Reducing the consumption of meat and dairy products would be another efficient way to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Just half of respondents in the UK (50 per cent) would be in favour of limiting the amount of meat and dairy products that people can buy (seven percentage points below French people, with 57 per cent, and very close to Germans, with 49 per cent).

While this figure spans all income groups, the generation gap is significant, with 67 per cent of people under 30 in favour of capping individual consumption of meat and dairy products, as opposed to only 33 per cent of those over 65 in favour of such a measure.

Nancy Saich (pictured), chief climate change expert at the European Investment Bank, said: “The outcome of the EIB Climate Survey shows that respondents in the UK, just like EU citizens, are willing to help fight climate change at the individual level and are expecting action from their governments.

“As the EU climate bank, we welcome this commitment. It complements our role of financing green services such as low-carbon transport, renewable energy and energy-efficient buildings around the world, many of which also help create new jobs. ”