Why energy education is still a vital piece of realising a sustainable future

04 November 2019

If the newspaper headlines of the past few months were all you had to go by, it may seem as though the battle against climate change is one fought between Gen Z and Baby Boomers in positions of (corporate and political) power. But not so, according to recent research into attitudes towards environmental concerns by Schneider Electric.

Though younger generations more often describe themselves as being committed to sustainability, with three-quarters saying they are willing to spend more money on products if it comes from a sustainable brand, young people’s commitment to the environment only goes so far. In fact, on certain issues this generation has views that would shock their parents who spent their own youth worried about the ozone layer.

Schneider Electric’s research has revealed that Generation Z – those born from around the mid-1990s and who are mostly now reaching the age of majority – are far less worried about the planet (and their impact upon it) than their parents. We found that the youngest respondents were half as likely to think that reducing energy consumption is an issue of concern; what’s more, they show little regard for a host of environmental issues, from energy saving to reducing plastic waste.

Read the full article in the November issue of DPA