Appears in every fourth Norwegian does not believe that human activity affects climate change New study.
It is astonishing that Norway has emerged as the most climate skeptical country, say Professor Katherine Holst and her postdoctoral fellow Torbjorn Gundersen.
Both work in the Department of Sociology and Social Geography at the University of Oslo, and are part of the PERITIA-funded study.
More than 12,000 people participated in the survey. Made in Norway, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Germany and the UK.
In Norway, 61% answered that they believe people influence climate change and 15% do not know.
While 24% do not believe that human activity affects the climate.
That equates to more than 1.3 million climate skeptics.
This is an excerpt from a comment field on a climate issue that NRK wrote earlier this summer.
The study was first mentioned by Forsking.
hard to explain
Trols Tonbe Christiansen is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at UiT – Norwegian Arctic University.
He was also surprised by the numbers, and noted that Norwegians generally have high confidence in the research.
– T . menHe adds that the disadvantage of research becomes less when the result of the research is that one has to sacrifice something.
Christiansen believes that one of the reasons Norway stands out may be that the economy is largely dependent on oil production.
We have a national self-image as a “good nation.” Then it may be hard to accept that more and more people agree that the oil industry contributes to climate change, he says.
Do you think climate change is man-made?
Norwegians also have the lowest percentage of those who believe that climate change will have or will have consequences for the country or individuals.
Norwegian society has proven to be relatively well equipped to deal with climate change, and that could clearly be an explanation, he says Christiansen.
But it is also the Norwegians who care less about future changes in Norway and the world.
Why don’t we largely associate climate change as a common global problem that’s hard to explain, he says Christiansen.
The study also shows that we are less inclined to change behavior or Save some of our income to contribute to measures that can prevent climate change.
Plus, we’re the worst at walking, cycling, or traveling by public transportation. The same applies to the recycling and use of plastic products.
Trols Tonbe Christiansen is surprised by Norway’s excellence, but realizes that things must be explored more thoroughly before one can say anything for sure about the cause.
Photo: Norwegian Arctic University UiT
Norwegians are less concerned about the future
The study was led by researchers from King’s College London. The next step is to explain what lies behind the numbers.
It is hard to imagine that the norm among Norwegians has anything to do with our dependence on oil. Thus, people in Norway have no immediate interest in taking grim climate messages into account, Gundersen says.
But he notes that they currently have no basis to explain why Norway stands out at several points in this study.
We generally agree with experts in most areas, but not when it comes to research on climate change. This is something we will have to look at closely to find out, Gundersen says.
According to Gundersen, the fact that Norway is a rich country may have something to do with the case.
We are well-equipped to deal with climate change in relation to the other countries in the survey.
However, he is keen to speculate on what could be other causes, but believes there are a number of things that need to be looked at closely.
How are climate issues discussed in the public space? Maybe we talk about the climate differently in Norway than in other countries.
It’s special One Things he hopes to get answers to.
We do not only care about ourselves, but also about humanity and future generations. It’s an interesting discovery, says Gundersen.
Torbjørn Gundersen, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oslo, thinks the numbers are staggering.
Photo: University of Oslo
Controversial viewpoints
Norwegians believe that 67 percent of climate scientists have concluded that climate change is occurring as a result of human activity.
Here, Norway scores quite similar to the other countries in the study.
But the conclusion here is very different from what most people think: More than 99 percent of climate scientists have Landed on this conclusion.
– So far it’s not very surprising. It’s very popular when it comes to controversial issues, Christiansen says.
It shows that controversial opinions receive additional attention.
– Those with a slightly different opinion often get extra attention, Christiansen says.
In this way, he believes, an incorrect picture of balance is created in the debate. He also believes that social media plays a big role.
Algorithms do their part to make sure controversial content often goes viral, Christiansen says.
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