BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – According to a survey, concerns about the climate crisis now play only a minor role among employees. Only about one in ten of those surveyed see achieving climate protection goals as the most pressing social problem, the survey shows. The survey was conducted by the Wittenberg Center for Global Ethics (WZGE) on behalf of the corporate foundation of the energy company Eon.
This means that other social challenges are moving up the agenda in the minds of employees: reducing social inequality (17 percent), securing jobs (15 percent), and resolving geopolitical conflicts (14 percent).
Majority does not want to slow down the pace of transformation
“People are focusing more on economic sustainability and less on ecological sustainability,” write the authors of the survey. In 2025, the proportion of respondents who identified “securing competitiveness” as the most pressing social issue tripled compared to 2022.
Nevertheless, there is still a large majority in favor of maintaining or at least continuing the pace of climate-neutral industrial transformation. Just under half believe that more speed is needed, while another 30 percent consider the current pace to be sufficient. One in five respondents said that the transformation should be slowed down.
“People see climate neutrality as an opportunity for the economy and not as an obstacle,” said WZGE head Martin von Broock. “That’s why they are calling on politicians to provide better incentives instead of reducing their efforts.”
The WZGE has now conducted the survey for the third time. More than 2,000 current and future employees were surveyed in February 2025. The survey was conducted online.
Climate crisis also becoming less important at the political level
The climate crisis has also lost importance in global politics recently – and not only because the US withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement under President Donald Trump. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that she will grant European car manufacturers a “breathing space” and give them more time to comply with EU climate protection targets.
Those who fail to meet the 2025 targets, for example, will be able to compensate for this by exceeding them in subsequent years. Until now, car manufacturers have had to comply with the limits every year.
In addition, the EU Commission is reviewing the so-called combustion engine phase-out earlier than previously planned. EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas announced in Brussels that this review will take place this year and not in 2026 as originally planned. Von der Leyen emphasized that no technology will be excluded from the review from the outset. /maa/DP/zb
