Dutch less fearful about relocating due to climate change than EU average

Even though a large proportion of the Netherlands is below sea level, the Dutch are generally less afraid of having to move due to climate change than the average inhabitant of the European Union. A quarter of the people in the Netherlands said they have taken the notion into account, compared to 29 percent of the European Union.

Residents of France and Spain are most concerned, according to a report by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The organization surveyed more than 30,000 respondents. In Finland, only 16 percent think there is at least some likelihood they may have to relocate in the future due to climate change.

Dutch people in their twenties are more concerned than other population groups. More than four in ten of them are concerned about the climate's impact on the living situation in the future.

“As the European Union's climate bank, it is our responsibility to listen to those concerns and address them concretely with policymakers and business partners,” said EIB Vice-President Kris Peeters in reaction to the survey.

The survey also showed that 56 percent of Europeans, including 56 percent of Dutch people, think that measures such as the energy transition will ensure economic growth. An equally large majority in the Netherlands also believe that climate measures improve the quality of life, and that they also create more new jobs. That rate is higher than the European average.

Still, a large majority of 72 percent of the Netherlands thinks that climate change will still be a serious problem in 2050. By that point, the European Union wants to achieve climate neutrality. Less than a fourth think the situation will be under control by that time.