Seven out of ten Irish people are concerned about climate change, according to a new survey by PTSB.

The bank's latest Reflecting Ireland report found that one in four people believe the world is on the brink of irreversible climate change.

However seven in ten consumers here also worry that becoming more sustainable will cost them money.

Meanwhile two thirds said that they were doing as much as they could at the moment to reduce their environmental impact.

"In terms of people's top concerns, they were concerned about extreme weather events," said Leontia Fannin, head of corporate affairs at PTSB. "Climate-driven cost of living changes are a concern as well, as well as health risks posed by extreme weather events.

"But households feel they're doing all they can to tackle climate change at the moment, and people are concerned that being more environmentally friend is going to cost them money, particularly given that cost of living is such a key issue at the moment," she added.

Half of all respondents saw the transport and energy sectors as the biggest contributors to climate change, with 47% also pointing towards airlines.

However 49% of consumers also believed that energy companies were leading the way in tackling the problem, with 35% saying that agriculture was contributing to the solution too.

"People believe that energy and the energy sector is probably one of the biggest contributors to climate change, but at the same time people believe those industries are in fact trying to tackle climate change moreso than any other industry," said Ms Fannin.

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"There is work to be done by all industries throughout society, but those particular areas are making significant efforts and I think people are recognising that," she added.

The survey also asked consumers about their overall mood, and found that it had worsened since the last report was taken.

Now 48% of consumers expected the economy to get worse in the coming year, compared to 43% three months ago.

There was also an increase in the proportion who felt the country was 'on the wrong track', with more people also feeling they were worse off than was the case last year.

However, while the quarterly comparison is negative, Ms Fannin pointed out that attitudes are still better than they were a year ago.

"This time last year about 70% of us believed the economic situation was going to get worse over the next 12 months, where as that stands at just under 50% today," she said.

"So it remains to be seen whether this is a trend that's going to continue, or whether it's a point in time position as to how people are feeling at the moment."

The survey of 1,000 consumers by BehaviourWise was conducted in August, meaning the answers came before Budget 2024 was announced.

This means it is as yet unclear as to whether the measures announced by Government will help address the concerns consumers have had in recent months.

"Cost of living is undoubtedly the key issue for people," Leontia Fannin said.

"Other areas are homelessness, it's access to quality healthcare, it's affordable rents, so there are key issues that keep cropping up," she added.