What do Civil Servants in Ireland think about Climate Change?
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland
Protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset for the people of Ireland.
Climate Attitudes and Literacy in the Civil Service (CALCS) is a survey of beliefs, attitudes, policy preferences and behaviours regarding climate change among civil servants in Ireland. The CALCS survey was developed under the Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan and was led by the EPA.
Over 6,000 civil servants took part in the CALCS survey in April 2024, representing about a third of all civil servants in Ireland. Here are some key takeaways:
Climate Beliefs and Attitudes
87% of civil servants in Ireland say they are “very or somewhat worried” about climate change.
66% understand that climate change is “caused mostly by human activities”.
Support for Climate Action Policies
53% of civil servants in Ireland think climate change should be a “very high” priority for the government of Ireland.
86% agree with the statement “we have a responsibility to act on climate change, and Ireland should do what it can to reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions”.
Climate Literacy
Approximately 79% of civil servants reported knowing at least "a moderate amount" about climate change topics such as "the greenhouse effect," compared to 63% of the Irish public, according to Climate Change in the Irish Mind (2024).
Civil servants also performed better on their understanding of most factual climate change questions than the Irish public, with a similar performance on applied climate change questions.
Climate Related Behaviours
56% of civil servants in Ireland have bought goods or services at least once in the past 12 months from a company that has taken action to reduce climate change.
Climate Action Leadership in the Public Service
53% of civil servants in Ireland agree their department is open and responsive to change that enables climate action.
39% agree there is a collaborative culture on climate action across departments.
The main findings of CALCS from April 2024 are strongly aligned with Wave 2 of the EPA’s Climate Change in the Irish Mind study from August 2023. You can read the full report on the EPA Website.
Associate Professor in Social Policy at University College Dublin
5moSome positive findings here but worrying figures on climate leadership. Only 39% agree there is a collaborative culture on climate change across govt. depts. Confirms international research on lack of policy integration in an area where it is required.