Irish Examiner view: We all must accept responsibility in the battle to combat climate change

It is a longstanding challenge to get individuals to link their personal activity to a wider global challenge

One person in eight said Ireland was “too small to make a difference on climate change and should let others take the lead”, but an overwhelming majority said that Ireland has a responsibility to do what it can. File Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA

There has been a consensus for some time now that the most pressing threat facing the world is climate change and the problems it causes. Environmental problems, forced migration, sweeping behavioural changes — all of these challenges have climate change as a basic animating principle.

This makes the research released this week by the Environmental Protection Agency all the more alarming. That research suggests almost 40% of Irish people believe climate change is jointly caused by people and natural occurrences.