More than half of people in Scotland say they worry about climate change every day, not just now and then, not just when the headlines are bad, but as a steady presence in everyday life.
That finding, from NatureScot’s latest national opinion survey, captures a quiet truth that many already feel that the climate crisis is no longer something far away or abstract, but something personal, something close.
Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they worry a lot about climate change in their daily lives, while 71 percent agreed that the loss of species, habitats and ecosystems is an urgent issue that demands attention now, not in some distant future.
People who feel more connected to nature were more likely to understand the scale and seriousness of biodiversity loss, suggesting that emotional closeness to the natural world helps sharpen our sense of what’s at stake.
And the stakes are high.
Climate change is already reshaping Scotland’s environment, not just in ways we can see, but in ways we can feel, from changes in food and energy security to water quality, rising flood risks, and even the impact on cultural heritage and wellbeing.
Some habitats are being altered directly, while others are gradually destabilised, their finely balanced ecosystems shifting in ways that are harder to notice but just as damaging.
Still, in the face of these threats, people are taking action.
The survey found that most Scots had done something in the past year to support nature, whether by walking in greenspace, putting out food or water for wild animals, or simply picking up litter where they saw it.
Two in five people said they had volunteered for the environment in the last twelve months, and three quarters said they believe they could do more.
What many said would help is the chance to see the impact of their actions and to feel part of something shared.
People want better information, more community connection and reassurance that their efforts matter.
Most respondents were aware of protected areas like National Nature Reserves, Marine Protected Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, which play a vital role in safeguarding fragile habitats and rare species.
Half of those surveyed had visited at least one of Scotland’s two National Parks in the past year, with just over ten percent saying they’d visited both.
NatureScot’s Director of Green Economy, Robbie Kernahan, said the findings offer a message of hope.
He spoke of the care that millions of people across Scotland are showing, not just in grand gestures, but in quiet, everyday choices.
Whether it’s picking up litter, feeding garden birds, joining a local clean-up or recording wildlife for citizen science projects, these small acts are part of something much bigger.
They’re how we begin to turn things around.
And in a time of worry, that kind of hope is worth holding onto.
