61% of young Egyptians say climate concerns are a deterrent to having children

A recent study by GlobeScan has revealed that 61 per cent of young people in Egypt say that climate concerns are a deterrent to them having children.

In Turkey 54 per cent don’t want to have children because of climate change implications.

Egypt had the highest percentage of people citing climate change as a deterrent alongside other countries where the majority also agreed, including South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand.

In Indonesia only 18 per cent of people agree that it is a deterrent and in Kenya the figure is 23 per cent.

The study also revealed that after surveying 29,293 participants from 31 countries, some 65 per cent of people say that climate change is a serious issue.

This is the highest percentage since tracking began in 2022, GlobeScan reported in their key findings, with the percentage rising year on year.

READ: Activists criticise $100m of British investment in Egypt as ‘greenwashing’

Globally, 85 per cent of people agree that it is the poor that will suffer the most from climate change.

In Egypt, one in three Egyptians are living in poverty following years of austerity measures which have hit the most vulnerable people the hardest, including electricity, fuel and price hikes.

“This research reveals unprecedented anxiety about climate change among the global public as the effects are increasingly being felt on a personal level,” the insights and advisory consultancy said of their key findings.

“There is also an acute awareness of the injustice of poor people suffering the most. Public pressure for more drastic action on climate change will only grow over time.”

Egypt’s efforts to address climate change are currently under scrutiny as the UN climate summit is set to be held in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

Egypt is highly vulnerable to climate change including water scarcity, droughts and rising sea levels.