A study conducted as part of the project „Raising Awareness about Climate Change and Energy Transition in Serbia” under SAFE Nature and Climate 2022-2025 revealed how aware young people are of the impact of climate change on their daily lives. The study involved 525 young individuals aged 18 to 30 from all parts of Serbia, with 16 of them participating in focus groups. The results were presented by Nenad Spasojević from the Center for Policy and Strategy Creation at the event „Youth, Climate Change, and Energy Transition: What They Really Think, Know, and Expect?”, organized by the OIE Serbia Association.
As the first association with climate change, young people most often mentioned global warming, followed by heatwaves, the greenhouse effect, adverse weather conditions, and adaptation. In their opinion, the biggest contributors to climate change in Serbia are thermal power plants, as well as outdated industrial production methods, individual heating systems, uncontrolled dumps, and agriculture.
When asked whether there is a negative correlation between the use of fossil fuels and the development of climate change, as many as 69 percent of the young people responded affirmatively, emphasizing that fossil fuels are one of the main sources of climate change. Meanwhile, 24 percent believed that although the correlation exists, fossil fuels are not the primary factor and their impact is not decisive. Only five percent of the respondents stated that there is no negative correlation.
One of the key questions was how much climate change affects the daily lives of young people. On a scale from one to five, where five indicates the most severe negative impact, the average rating was 3.53. As the greatest negative effect of climate change, 47 percent of young people identified high temperatures, 19 percent cited droughts, 14 percent noted heatwaves, and 13 percent pointed to heavy rainfall. Only three percent of the respondents believe that climate change will not have a negative impact.
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The first association that young people have with the term „green transition” is renewable energy sources, followed by sustainable development, solar panels, and environmental protection, while other responses include electric vehicles, EU regulations, and a just transition.
Young people primarily get their information about climate change and energy transition through social networks (52 percent) and internet portals (22 percent), while 15 percent acquire knowledge from people in their surroundings. Television and print media together account for only 11 percent of the sources of information.
Regarding the potential of renewable energy sources in Serbia, 42 percent of young people believe that solar energy has the greatest capacity for additional energy production, followed by hydropower (22 percent), wind energy (19 percent), geothermal energy (8 percent), biomass (6 percent), and biogas (3 percent).
During a panel discussion at the event, Jovana Joksimović, Assistant Minister of Mining and Energy for International Cooperation and European Integration, emphasized that it is encouraging that young people are interested in the green and energy transition and that there is awareness about the impact of the energy sector on climate change. She also stressed that it is important they have recognized these changes as an opportunity and are willing to listen to, understand, and embrace them, which is of great importance for Serbia.
Danijela Isailović, manager of the OIE Serbia Association, noted that 10 to 15 years ago no one was systematically tracking how developed the awareness of young people was regarding the impact of climate change and energy transition. However, significant progress in public opinion is evident compared to the early days of the Association’s work, when negative comments and ignorance were much more prevalent. Through a positive campaign, they have succeeded in providing young people with proper education, which is now reflected in their increased interest—they are writing to them more frequently, following their work, and wanting to actively participate in what they do.
The Association’s manager also added that she regrets that biomass is not better represented among young people, especially considering that Serbia has cities with district heating systems that use this energy source. She emphasized that a stronger campaign, similar to the one for solar energy, would be very beneficial, as biomass is an extremely valuable resource. She also noted that the time for geothermal energy is yet to come.
Tea Požar from New Energy Solution also confirmed how important the education of young people is for the success of the energy transition. By presenting experiences from abroad, especially from Germany and the Netherlands, where the transition has advanced significantly, she stressed that for a similar development in Serbia, additional education for young people, as well as a change in cultural habits, is essential.
