Public knowledge, attitudes and perception of ecological debt

The concept of ecological debt describes the ecological relations between industrialized (developed) and developing countries and the environment. It refers to the responsibility held by those who live in industrialized countries, as well as their accomplices in the South, for the continuing destruction of the planet due to production and consumption patterns. Ecological debt is a potentially powerful tool for re-discussing relations between North and South and for rethinking sustainable development policies. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the public's knowledge, attitude towards, and perceptions of topics related to the concept of ecological debt. A survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire among residents of Athens, the capital of Greece. To the best of our knowledge this is the first time that this issue has been explored, with regard to public opinion and this is the beginning of a discussion on public understanding of ecological debt. The survey reveals that the concept of ecological debt is not widely understood; but the participants seem to agree on the causes of its generation and on its association with external financial debt. The research findings guide alternative proposals to relevant social movements and/or organizations for the design of wake-up policies. Keywords: ecological debt, sustainable development, public acceptance, financial deb

Impact of Economic Crisis on Passenger Transportation – Case of Travelling to the Greek Mainland from Crete

The Greek economic crisis of 2009 onwards has affected all aspects of social and economic life of the country, including transportation. The present study focuses on the impact of economic crisis on the long distance transportation between the island of Crete in Greece, the largest Greek island and one of the largest in the Mediterranean Sea, and the Greek mainland. A questionnaire survey was used to investigate the opinions of the Cretans on the way the economic crisis influenced their transportation to the Greek mainland. The results of the survey show that the frequency of the Cretans’ travels was significantly limited, owing to the increased direct or indirect associated cost, due to the economic crisis. Especially for those who struggled to make ends meet, the transportation to the mainland dropped to the bare essentials. Furthermore, the respondents deemed that the&nbsp;deregulation of the Greek maritime and airline markets was also to blame for the high fares, thus they favoured a regulated public transport sector and were against privatization. Inevitably, financially vulnerable individuals were the most preoccupied with these issues. A feeling of isolation and exclusion was revealed by the sample on occasions when the scheduled trips were cancelled by the operators due to exogenous parameters.</p