51% of people in Bahrain eager to pursue healthy living: report
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
There has been a significant increase in the level of public awareness in the Kingdom of Bahrain regarding the growing challenges posed by global warming.
In fact, 51% of people in Bahrain are willing to move towards environmentally sustainable lifestyle in their daily lives.
This was contained in a recent report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) entitled “Are Consumers in the Gulf Region Ready to Adopt an Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle?”
That growing public awareness is due to the roles that government, institutions and civil society organisations play in supporting environmental sustainability initiatives, the report revealed.
It also found that 77% of people in Bahrain are aware of the phenomenon of climate change and its negative impact on the environment.
Sixty-one per cent believe that it harms the global environment, 51% of them believe that the phenomenon of climate change has a major impact on their personal lives, while about two-thirds of them expect that it will affect future generations.
Simon Birkbeck, a partner at Boston Consulting Group Middle East, said: “There is a growing interest in the phenomenon of climate change in Bahrain, thanks to the increase in access to information related to climate change and the launch of many successful initiatives in this aspect with the support of the government and companies, such as Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
“If the public and private sectors intensify their efforts to enhance awareness initiatives, invest in environmentally friendly infrastructure and expand options for environmentally friendly goods and services at reasonable prices, the number of people who choose to adopt sustainable lifestyle will surely increase, which is largely in line with the Bahraini government’s desire to promote a work environment based on the foundations of environmental sustainability.
” Despite the overwhelming desire of an increasing number of people in Bahrain to pursue a sustainable lifestyle, the challenge is to transform these concerns into concrete action. For example, Bahrain – like many Gulf countries – recycles, uses and recovers only about 8% of plastic and metal waste.
Therefore, a clear understanding of the obstacles that prevent people from contributing to the promotion of conservation efforts is required.
For his part, Cristiano Rizzi, partner and managing director at Boston Consulting Group Middle East, said: “The general interest in climate and sustainability is a good beginning for the future, as many people believe that environmentally sustainable lifestyle will have an effective role in the future in light of the increasing interest in following behaviours and acquisitions of environmentally friendly goods. “There are many challenges still ahead of us, as there are currently increasing calls for more information on recycling and renewable energy, in addition to the publication of guidance on sustainable ways of life and ways to reduce energy consumption.
“At the same time, people want to increase investments in sustainable infrastructure, especially in the fields of recycling, renewable energy, public transport and ecotourism, which is something Bahrain has all the necessary ingredients to achieve.
” Despite the remarkable efforts made by the Bahraini government to encourage recycling, 36% of consumers see the difficulty in achieving this.
Hence, accelerating the pace of change requires increasing investments in infrastructure, passing appropriate laws, and disseminating more information on correct methods of recycling.
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