changeadminMore than 50 percent of people globally are more worried about climate change than last in 2023.
It is not surprising.
In the month when almost all corners of the world are experiencing record-breaking heatwaves, extreme rainfall, and incidents of wildfire, we also got to see the results of the world’s climate change survey.
The survey named ‘Peoples’ Climate Vote’ was conducted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the University of Oxford.
This year’s climate survey is the world’s largest standalone public opinion survey on climate change. In its second edition, the survey covered more than 73,000 people in 77 countries, representing 87 percent of the world’s population which is higher than the previous edition, which covered 50 countries.
The climate survey results can help policy-makers to carve out specific climate action plans for their respective countries.
So coming back to the survey results, it is not just that more than 50 percent are worried, the factors related to climate change are on their minds as well, where 56 percent of participants globally have thought about climate change daily or weekly.
Given the gender inequalities in many parts of the world, women are more worried about climate change (55 percent) compared to men (51 percent).
Decisions like where to live, where to work, and what to buy are also getting impacted by climate change, with over two-thirds of the world’s population (69 percent) feeling making big decisions amidst extreme weather events is a challenge. This figure reaches 80 percent in the case of climate-vulnerable small Island developing countries.
The Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024 also shows interesting results for issues related to people’s opinions on their government and corporations.
As far as people’s opinion on what they thought about their government performance, the results say approximately half (49 percent) of people thought their countries were doing well, and about 25 percent thought they were doing badly.
In addition, 43 percent of people think that their government has had a bigger impact in addressing climate change than any other group. Consequently, 80 percent called for their country to strengthen their climate action plans and commitments.
It also stems from the fact that the decision to transition to renewable energy from fossil fuels rests with the government. More than 70 percent of people want their country to expedite this transition.
Concerning their views on actions by big companies, just 39 percent think they are doing well in addressing climate change and just 14 percent of people think big businesses have had the biggest impact in addressing climate change.
Apart from these results, the Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024 has shown many other interesting findings on people’s opinions on safeguarding communities against extreme weather events, the need for more action on nature, proliferating climate change education in schools, climate collaboration among countries, and the need for more support for poorer countries on climate.
Wrapping Up
In 4 months from now, world leaders, government representatives, and industry stakeholders will gather at COP 29 to discuss their climate goals, finance commitments, and other issues related to climate change.
The second edition of the Peoples’ Climate Vote is timely and shares some wonderful insights on what people on the ground are thinking. As the impact of climate change is accelerating faster than expected and GHG emission levels rising, it is the common citizens, especially in the least developing and climate-vulnerable countries.
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