Doha [Qatar],September 22: More than half (58 percent) of Arab youth are ready to support calls to boycott brands that damage the environment, rising to about two-thirds (65 percent) of youth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states followed by North Africa (58 percent) and the Levantine nations (51 percent).
This comes amidst increasing worry among Arab youth about the impact of climate change on their daily lives, with over two-thirds (66 percent), the highest percentage in five years, saying they are 'very concerned'.
These important findings from the 15th annual ASDA'A BCW Arab Youth Survey were announced on Thursday to coincide with the Zero Emissions Day, an international day of action to secure a cleaner future and combat global warming.
The most comprehensive study of its kind of the Arab world's largest demographic, its over 200 million youth, conducted by ASDA'A BCW, MENA's leading communications consultancy, the survey this year evaluated the perceptions about climate change among Arab youth.
Underpinning the immediacy of climate change in the region, nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of all respondents said global warming is already impacting their life; this rises to 76 percent in the North Africa and 74 percent in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, and about two-thirds (63 percent) in the Levantine countries.
A majority (87 percent) of Arab youth believe their government in taking positive action against climate change but more than half (56 percent) say their government should set transparent, accountable targets for achieving Net Zero emissions.
To date, only a handful of countries in MENA have set Net Zero targets, notably the GCC states (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman) and Iraq. Several other countries are investing significantly in renewable energy projects. With the onus of addressing global warming being debated by developed and developing nations, less than half (42 percent) of youth in the region believe that Arab countries should be doing more than other nations to tackle climate change.
Source: Qatar Tribune