Global Concern about Climate Change [survey]

The target mark for Paris in December is pretty clear: to achieve a binding contract among all nations, to keep global warming below the critical 2 degrees Celsius of warming. There is a global agreement that climate change is a major challenge, a new Pew Research Center survey stated. A global median of 54% in all 40 countries polled say it is a very serious problem and an average of 78% support the plan of their country cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

People around the world are worried about a variety of possible impacts of climate change, but drought is number one on the list. People who participated in the survey were introduced to four potential effects of climate change: droughts, severe weather, long periods of unusually hot weather, or rising sea levels. They were asked which one fear them most and drought was the most common answer.  In Latin America and Africa a median of 59% and in the U.S. 50% say this is their top concern. Globally the average is 44%. Severe weather, such as floods or intense storms, is the number one issue in eight nations in Asia-Pacific. Indonesians and Malaysians worry about long periods of hot weather as a top concern. There is no country in which rising sea levels are the top choice.

Worries about climate change vary substantially by region and country. The percentage of the respondent thinking it will personally harm them during their lifetime ranges from less than 20% in the UK, Australia, Germany and China, to more than 70% in Brazil, the Philippines and Ghana. Americans and Chinese, whose economies are responsible for the greatest annual CO2 emissions, are among the least concerned.

 Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Country  [The World Bank Website]
Download Complete PEW Research Report [PDF]
Results for the survey are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International.