Климатът и средната класа в страните от Югоизточна Европа
Climate of the Middle Class of the Southeast European Countries

Summary/Abstract: Sustainable development is connected to socio-economic development. Because of this, the position and development of the middle class in Southeastern European countries is crucial in understanding the challenges for climate policies. From the outset, it seems that the middle class in the Southeast is more concerned with living standards and jobs than with climate change, as voiced by political leaders. However, in this paper I argue the middle class in the Southeast is seriously worried about climate change. The nature of the climate problem has a tragic element, that is rooted in its long time span and potential catastrophic impact. The middle class is typically associated with long-term thinking and responsibility across generations. Because of this, I argue that it would be surprising for it to not be a concern to the middle class. This is backed up by the data, which shows a great concern for climate change among the population of the Southeastern countries. Hence, support for climate policies might be much larger than indicated by the statements from politicians, including the role of the EU in this process.

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