Climate change: environmental risk perception among local politicians, a study of municipal council members in Rhodes island in Greece.

Climate change is increasingly becoming a key issue in everyday discussions. International comparative studies show that climate change is seen by ordinary citizens as an environmental problem that already exists and is often confused with the destruction of stratospheric ozone. Decisions and measures taken on climate protection by the local municipalities, namely: the Municipal Councils will have important impact on the issues of climate change. We examine Rhodes case study, an island municipality with a strong tourist driven economy. We seek answerers to the determinants and dimensions of understanding and response to climate change by local politicians such as Municipal Councilors. We conduct a population survey of active municipal and local councilors in the island Rhodes during their 2010 to 2014 term of office. The final sample included elected local councilors from the study area. Survey results showed that the Municipal Councils are aware of the climate change risk however they tend to associate it with other environmental issues such as ozone depletion or radioactivity pollution. They also believe that the Local Council should bear the responsibility for enforcement Climate Protection measures and a comprehensive environmental policy. The island of Rhodes is facing an environmental challenge of climate protection. The only way to cope with the severity of risks is to find sustainable solutions with long term planning.