The United Nations Development Program released this Thursday (20) an unprecedented survey that shows global support for government actions aimed at combating climate change. According to the UN office, this is the largest independent public opinion consultation in history on the topic, with 75 thousand respondents.
The study shows that 80% of respondents would like their governments to take stronger action to tackle the climate crisis. The proportion in Brazil was even higher: 85% — a rate that is the third highest recorded among the 20 most polluting countries in the world.
“The search results – without precedents in terms of coverage – reveal a level of consensus
truly surprising. We urge leaders and policymakers to pay attention, especially as countries develop their next round of climate action commitments”, said UNDP administrator Achim Steiner in a statement.
Energy transition
The survey also indicated widespread support for the energy transition, leaving the use of fossil fuels behind and increasing pressure for more renewable sources.
Globally, 72% are in favor of a rapid transition to abandonment of fossil fuels. A reality that is also repeated in the ten countries with the highest production of oil, coal or gas.
Only 7% of respondents said their country should not do any transition.
“These results are undeniable evidence that people in everywhere supports bold climate action. The “People’s Climate Vote” survey gave a voice to people everywhere – including among groups traditionally more difficult to search. For example, people in nine of the 77 countries surveyed never had been heard about climate change. The next two years are one of best chance we have as an international community to ensure that the
heating remains below 1.5°C. We are ready”, said, also in a note, Cassie Flynn, global director of Climate Change at UNDP.
Finally, the research also identified the phenomenon of climate anxiety, which is when citizens think, at least once a week, about the effects that global warming will have on their daily lives.
Globally, 56% said they regularly thought about it. In less developed countries, the concern is even greater. Six out of ten residents of these regions say they think about the consequences of the climate emergency every day — precisely the residents of the areas most vulnerable to extreme weather events, worsened by global warming.
For the research, the UNDP formed a partnership with the University of Oxford and the company GeoPoll. 75 thousand people were interviewed, from 87 different languages, and the margin of error varies between less than 1 percentage point and 3 pp, depending on the area researched.
Source: CNN Brasil
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