Fred Dufour—AFP
Poll finds most residents of world’s biggest polluters don’t consider climate change ‘very serious.’
China and the United States are the world’s biggest polluters, but their residents are among the least concerned in the world about the harms of climate change, a global poll found Thursday.
Just 18 percent of those surveyed in China said climate change is a very serious problem, and 15 percent were very concerned that climate change would harm them personally, according to the Pew Research Center. In the United States, 45 percent said climate change was very serious, and one in three expressed concern about personal harm as a result.
In contrast, the consensus globally is that climate change is a pressing problem, particularly ahead of key climate talks in Paris this year. “Majorities in all 40 nations polled say it is a serious problem, and a global median of 54 percent consider it a very serious problem,” said the findings. “Moreover, a median of 78 percent support the idea of their country limiting greenhouse gas emissions as part of an international agreement in Paris.”
The survey was taken from March to May, and is based on 45,435 face-to-face and telephone interviews in 40 countries with adults.