Largest survey on climate change reveals most people want action

A herd of caribou on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP/File)

• UN Development Program poll canvassed the opinions of 1.2 million people in 50 countries
• ‘The survey brings the voice of the people to the forefront of the climate debate,’ said program chief

NEW YORK: The world’s largest survey of opinions on climate change, which sought the views of 1.2 million people in 50 countries, found that the majority believe it is a global emergency that requires urgent action.
The poll, dubbed the “People’s Climate Vote,” was carried out by the UN Development Program (UNDP) in partnership with the University of Oxford. It sought the views of people of all ages and education levels in countries that together account for about half of the world’s population.
It revealed that most people support the introduction of more comprehensive policies to tackle the problems and challenges arising from climate change.
“From climate-friendly farming to protecting nature and investing in a green recovery from COVID-19, the survey brings the voice of the people to the forefront of the climate debate,” said UNDP administrator Achim Steiner when the results of the poll were revealed on Wednesday.
“It signals ways in which countries can move forward with public support as we work together to tackle this enormous challenge.”
This year is shaping up to be a pivotal one for international climate-action commitments, with a key round of negotiations due to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, in November during COP26, the UN Climate Change Summit. The meeting will be the 26th session of Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the entity tasked with supporting the global response to climate change. It will focus on ways to intensify efforts to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The opinions canvassed by the UNDP survey included those of more half a million people between the ages of 14 and 18, many of whom are not yet allowed to vote but who represent an important group in climate-change campaigning. They were asked to weigh in on 18 key climate policies across a number of action areas including the economy, energy, transport, food and farms, nature, and protecting people.
Polling experts from the University of Oxford used innovative methods to engage with young people, who can be hard to reach, for example by distributing the survey on mobile-gaming networks. The sampling was structured to be representative of ages, gender balance and levels of education in populations, which significantly reduced margins of error.
While younger people were more likely to consider climate change an emergency — 65 per cent of those in the 18-35 age group, and 66 per cent in the 36-59 age group — their elders were not far behind, with 58 per cent of over-60s feeling the same way. UNDP said that this illustrates “how widely held this view has become.”
Cassie Flynn, strategic advisor on climate change at UNDP said: “This is the good news: news of solidarity in the world when it comes to tackling the climate crisis.”
The survey found substantial levels of support for the adoption of a variety of wide-ranging climate policies beyond current measures, including radical long-term solutions.
The single most popular policy was conservation of forests and land (which was supported by 54 percent of those surveyed), followed by a transition to greater use of solar, wind and other forms of renewable power (53 percent), the adoption of climate-friendly farming techniques (52 percent), and increased investment in green businesses and jobs (50 percent).
“What’s interesting is that respondents (really) don’t see one silver bullet solving the climate crisis,” said Flynn. “There is this wide variety of options that people gravitated toward.”
In countries where the energy sector is responsible for the highest levels of emissions, the majority of respondents were in favor of greater use of renewable energy. In countries where more emissions result from changes of land use, the majority backed enhanced conservation efforts. Residents of large cities advocated efforts to encourage greater use of cleaner electric cars and buses, or bicycles.
“People (are) looking around, absorbing the instability of the world when it comes to climate and COVID and thinking about how we get ourselves onto a new pathway,” said Flynn.
The survey found that levels of education also played a part in fostering a desire for climate action, the UNDP said. Recognition of a climate emergency was highest among people who had attended college or university, regardless of the economic status of their countries.
The UNDP said it will share the detailed results of the poll, broken down by age, gender and education level, with governments around the world.