POLISH AND UKRAINIAN ATTITUDES TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The article discusses the chosen aspects of Poles’ and Ukrainians’ attitudes towards climate change. For this purpose, the authors refer to the existing data, i.e., nation-wide studies conducted in Poland and Ukraine regarding the level of knowledge about climate change and the behaviour declared in relation to this change. The discussed issue was set within the spectrum of geopolitical processes and scientific forecasts concerning it. When it comes to the theoretical sphere, the issue was set within the concepts of attitudes and arguments concerning the new geological epoch, i.e., the Anthropocene. The overview of the existing data allows for coming to the conclusion that there are no comparative data from international studies in which both countries participated. One of the most frequently used tools for forming opinions on environmental change is Eurobarometer, in which Ukraine does not participate. The shortage of comparative data results in difficulties with equivalence of the conducted analysis. The presented results meet the temporal and topical rigor, and are one of the first attempts at recreating social attitudes towards climate change in both countries.