Most citizens formally support the concept of Montenegro as an ecological state, but the share of those who “completely believe” in it is slightly decreasing. At the same time, the number of “partial supporters” is rising, which shows that ecological statehood is still perceived as desirable, but citizens are becoming more cautious in assessing its realistic implementation.
These are some of the main conclusions of the analysis titiled „Montenegro, an ecological state: 30 years of (un)changed consciousness“, which, by combining data from researches conducted from 1991 to 2021, reveals the level of ecological culture in the country, the personal engagement of citizens, as well as the work of state institutions, the media and the NGO sector.
Data show that, even though more than 80% of citizens do not want nature to be endangered for economic gain, their concrete participation in cleaning actions and selective waste disposal is lacking. Thus, the percentage of those who would regularly participate in cleaning actions, between 1994 and 2021, dropped from 38.5% to a worrying 22%.
Also, less than 30% of respondents regularly sort waste, which indicates how important is to improve the infrastructure and educate the population in order to put the principles into practice.
Respondents generally believe that environmental protection is a joint responsibility of the state, business, and citizens. Almost three-quarters support the introduction of stricter measures such as environmental police and financial sanctions, which indicates an increasing public readiness for stronger regulation.
According to public perception, environmental topics are still in the shadow of daily politics and other social problems. Most people believe that the coverage of environmental issues in the media is insufficient, although at the same time, they do not list ecology as the highest priority. The NGO sector cooperates intensively with state institutions, but ecology as a whole is mentioned less frequently than topics such as corruption or social protection.
Analyses at the local level show that municipalities in Montenegro are still fighting the main struggle with communal issues – water quality and availability, waste removal, and sewage infrastructure.
In recent research (after 2015), there is a noticeable increase in awareness of climate challenges. About 75% of respondents consider the transition to renewable energy sources necessary, but the understanding of the term “just energy transition” is still at a low level.
At the same time, attitudes towards the closure of the coal industry are divided, especially in local communities that are economically dependent on such plants.
You can find the full analysis here
The publication was developed through the project “Innovative Actions for a Green Future”, with the support of the Eco Fund – Fund for Environmental Protection of Montenegro. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Eco Fund – Environmental Protection Fund.
