In 1998, the research firm GlobeScan began tracking international concern about changes in the climate. At the time, 44% of the respondents believed that climate change was a very serious concern. By 2009, that number increased to nearly two-thirds of those polled, indicating that worldwide fears about the environment are growing.
And the mounting evidence suggests these concerns are well justified: temperatures are rising, the world's ice is melting, human health is being threatened, and climate change could be irreversible for a thousand years. All good reasons for the growing anxiety about the environment.
The BBC World Service and GlobeScan, in an attempt to better understand the level of concern around the world, conducted a poll in 2009 and published their results in the report Climate Concerns Continue to Increase: Global Poll, released on December 7, 2009 (globescan.com) – on the eve of the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.
The BBC/GlobeScan poll asked respondents in different countries the same three questions:
- How serious a problem do you consider climate change or global warming, due to the greenhouse effect?
- Do you support or oppose the government making investments to address climate change even if this hurts the economy?
- Which strategy should your country follow at the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen?
GlobeScan conducted the poll between June 19 and October 13, 2009. The responses show overwhelming concern about the issue of climate change and support for some type of action.
How Serious a Problem Is Climate Change?
When poll respondents were questioned about the seriousness of climate change, they were asked to choose one of the following five options:
- Very serious problem
- Somewhat serious problem
- Not very serious problem
- Not a serious problem at all
- Don't know/not applicable
Only 2% of the respondents do not consider climate change a serious problem at all, and 6% consider the climate problem not to be very serious. However, about 25% consider the problem somewhat serious, and a large majority – 64% – consider it very serious.
Chile and Brazil lead the pack of those that recognize the significance of climate change. In each of those countries, 86% of the respondents consider a changing climate to be a very serious issue. The US and India, on the other hand, fall at the opposite end of the spectrum, with only 45% of the respondents in each of those countries concerned enough about climate change to consider it a very serious problem – far below the 23-country average of 64%.
Should Government Invest in Climate Change Solutions?
The question about government investment in climate change solutions offered three choices from which to choose an answer:
- Support
- Oppose
- Don't know/not applicable
The majority of the individuals polled – 61% – are in favor of their governments investing in solutions to climate change, even if it hurts the economy. China leads the way in support for government investment, with 89% of the respondents supporting the idea. Kenya comes in second, with 77% in favor, and France third, with 75%.
At the other end of the scale are the 29% who oppose government investment in climate change solutions. The Philippines leads the way in opposition, with 63% of the respondents opposed to government investment. Pakistan comes in second at a 58% opposition rate, and the US comes in third at 42%.
What Climate Change Strategy Should Be Followed?
When poll respondents were asked about the roles their countries should play at the UN Climate Change Summit, they were offered five options from which to choose:
- Play a leadership role in setting ambitious targets to address climate change as quickly as possible.
- Take a more moderate approach and support only gradual action to address climate change.
- Do not agree to any international agreement that addresses climate change.
- Don't know/not applicable
The majority of the respondents believe that their governments should take some type of action. Of those polled, 44% want their governments to take a leadership role, and 39% want them to take a moderate approach. The UK shows the greatest support for taking a leadership role, with 62% of the respondents in favor of this approach, followed closely by Kenya and Canada, each with a rate of 62%.
Spain, on the other hand, has the greatest support for a more moderate approach, with 61% of the respondents preferring a strategy whose actions are gradual. The Philippines follow Spain at a rate of 57% in favor of a moderate approach, and then Panama at 55%.
Only 6% of the respondents from the various countries are opposed to their governments going along with an international agreement. And the US once again leads the pack, with 14% of the respondents against any international agreement – over double the international average. Both Brazil and Pakistan follow close behind, with 12% in each of these countries opposed to any agreement.
Fears of Climate Change
Despite the lower levels of concern on the parts of the US and some other countries, the BBC/GlobeScan poll indicates that there's a growing worldwide consensus that climate change is a serious problem and governments should invest in strategies for dealing with this issue, even if it hurts the economy. In addition, most people want to see some sort of action, whether or not their countries take a leadership role. Public concern about climate change has reached its highest level since GlobeScan began polling, and now, more than ever, the public wants to see their governments get something done.
R.H. Sheldon - A number of years ago, long before I moved to the Northwest, I hitchhiked with a friend across Washington state to northern Idaho. We got ...
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