Veolia Environnement: Global Climate Survey: Most Americans Feel Exposed and Vulnerable to a Deterioration in Their Quality of Life Due to Worsening Climate Conditions, and Demand Action
June 05 2024 - 11:03AM
Business Wire
- Veolia’s Barometer of Ecological Transformation survey shows
Americans are feeling increasingly anxious and vulnerable to
worsening climate conditions, but still believe it’s not too late
to turn the tide.
- Americans are ready to take unprecedented action to address
the challenges of climate change.
Regulatory News:
Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE):
A large majority of Americans is ready to take measures to
address the challenges of climate change that would have been
unheard of a generation ago, including drinking recycled wastewater
to adapt to ongoing water shortages, according to new survey
results released today by global environmental leader Veolia and
renowned research firm Elabe.
The survey gauged American public opinion about the impacts of
climate change and shows that they are no longer an abstraction for
a large percentage of Americans, but something that can be seen and
felt on a regular basis. Worsening storms, unpredictable weather
patterns, drought, flooding and other tangible signs of a changing
climate are making Americans feel increasingly anxious and
vulnerable, the survey shows.
While a previous Veolia survey, conducted in 2022 and released
in January 2023, showed a growing consensus toward green solutions
for climate-related challenges, the latest one reveals a deepening
level of concern and openness to solutions that may have once been
regarded as too extreme. Protecting public health has become a
powerful lever to encourage a desire for ecology and consent to
changes in behavior or the additional costs of environmental
solutions. Mitigating PFAS and other micropollutants in drinking
water is just one example of the investments that will need to be
made in the coming years.
The Veolia survey findings are echoed in recent government
reporting, including an Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in
the 2023 report conducted by the U.S. Federal Reserve Board,
showing that almost 20% of adults in the U.S. were financially
impacted by natural disasters last year, marking a nearly 50% rise
from 2022.
Findings like these are among the key motivations behind
GreenUp, Veolia’s global strategy for leading the ecological
transformation of the planet through accelerated innovation and
growth. The drivers behind the GreenUp strategy uniquely position
Veolia to meet the challenges raised in the recent survey.
Conducted in late 2023 and early 2024, the latest Veolia survey
posed climate-related questions to 2,000 Americans selected from a
broad range of demographics, including all geographic regions and
age groups (click here to see survey
results and methodology).
Fred Van Heems, President of Veolia North America, said,
“From the latest survey results, we can see that the anxiety and
concern that Americans feel about climate change and the dangers it
poses to our health and well-being are only growing more
pronounced. At the same time, we see that many Americans remain
hopeful that it’s not too late to take steps to reverse these
impacts and preserve the planet for our children and future
generations – but we need to act. Global public opinion that
includes America is also convinced that inaction will cost humanity
more than the necessary investments to the ecological
transition.”
U.S. Highlights
- 57% of Americans are certain that the costs of the
consequences of climate disruption are going to be greater than the
investments needed for ecological transformation
- 61% of Americans said they feel exposed and vulnerable
to a deterioration in their quality of life due to worsening
climate conditions
- 57% of Americans said they feel exposed and vulnerable
to health risks due to worsening climate conditions
- Of those, 54% said they were concerned about the impact
climate change was having on their mental health
- 61% (+19% compared to 2022) of Americans expressed
willingness to drink recycled wastewater in order to adapt to
severe water shortages
- 74% expressed willingness to eat food from agriculture
that uses recycled wastewater for fertilizer
- 82% expressed willingness to pay more out of their own
pocket to help cover costs for eliminating micropollutants in
drinking water supplies
- 53% of Americans remain confident that the future of
humanity is still in our hands, and that meaningful steps can still
be taken to reverse and mitigate impacts
#######
ABOUT THE METHODOLOGY The survey was conducted in 26
countries across 5 continents, reaching more than 29,500
individuals (between 1,000 and 2,000 per country / 2,000 in the
US). Countries were chosen for their demographic weight, their
contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and to ensure diversity
in ecological political and cultural backgrounds. Overall, these
countries represent nearly 60% of the world's population and 67% of
global greenhouse gas emissions. The survey was conducted online
from October 17 to December 6, 2023. For each of the 26 countries,
a representative sample of residents aged 18 and over was gathered.
Frequency: the barometer is published every 18 months (allowing for
long-term evolution of representations, opinions, and
behaviors).
ABOUT VEOLIA Veolia group aims to become the benchmark
company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents
with nearly 218,000 employees, the Group designs and deploys
useful, practical solutions for the management of water, waste and
energy that are contributing to a radical turnaround of the current
situation. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia helps
to develop access to resources, to preserve available resources and
to renew them. In 2023, the Veolia group provided 113 million
inhabitants with drinking water and 103 million with sanitation,
produced 42 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 63 million
tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE)
achieved consolidated revenue of 45,351 million euros in 2023.
www.veolia.com
ABOUT VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA A subsidiary of Veolia group,
Veolia North America (VNA) is the top-ranked environmental company
in the United States for three consecutive years, and the country’s
largest private water operator and technology provider as well as
hazardous waste and pollution treatment leader. It offers a full
spectrum of water, waste, and energy management services, including
water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste
collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery.
VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education, and
municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in
Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees
working at more than 350 locations across the continent.
www.veolianorthamerica.com
ABOUT ELABE Elabe is an independent French research and
consulting firm founded in 2015 by Bernard Sananes. It carries out
numerous studies for companies, business and media actors, in
France and abroad, particularly on social issues and public debate.
www.elabe.fr @elabe_fr
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VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA Carrie Griffiths (781)
491-3117 Carrie.Griffiths@Veolia.com
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