In the recent past a global public opinion research on climate change has revealed that 80 percent, or four out of five, of the global population want their governments to take stronger action to tackle the climate crisis. According to this Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024 (PCV2024), 86 percent desire that their countries set aside geopolitical differences and work together on climate change.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) collaborated with the University of Oxford in the UK and GeoPoll to carry out this study. This involved asking 15 questions about climate change to more than 75,000 people in 77 countries who spoke 87 different languages.
The report released subsequently on June 20, 2024 claimed to be the biggest ever stand-alone public opinion survey on climate change. The questions framed for this purpose were designed to help understand how people are experiencing the impacts of climate change and how they want world leaders to respond. The 77 countries polled, significantly represent 87 percent of the global population.
The UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner subsequently observed that “the People’s Climate Vote is loud and clear. They want their leaders to transcend their differences, to act now and to act boldly to fight the climate crisis. The survey results—unprecedented in their coverage—reveal a level of consensus that is truly astonishing. We urge leaders and policymakers to take note, especially as countries develop their next round of climate action pledges, or ‘nationally determined contributions’ under the Paris Agreement. This is an issue that almost everyone, everywhere, can agree on.”
One has to understand that globally, climate change is now on people’s mind. Floods, heat waves and forest fires have drawn the attention of the world population. Regardless of differences, people across the biosphere reported that climate change was on their minds. According to the report, globally, 56 percent said they were thinking about it regularly (daily or weekly), and some 63 percent of those in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), who are on the frontlines of the climate change impact, appear to be waiting for external support to adapt and mitigate.
The report also revealed that the anxiety around climate change is growing and 53 percent, or more than half, of people globally have observed that they were more worried than last year about climate change. Again, worry is higher in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), where 59 percent of people experience climate change-related fear. On average, across the nine Small Island Developing States (SIDS) the survey also indicated that, as many as 71 percent, consider that they were more worried than last year about climate change.
One must not overlook the fact that climate change has had an impact on people’s major decisions. According to the report, 69 percent of people worldwide said that climate change was having an impact on their major decisions, like where to live or work. The proportion so affected was higher in LDCs at 74 percent but notably lower in the developed countries in Western and Northern Europe- at 52 percent, and -Northern America at 42 percent.
Another anticipated aspect has also emerged from this study. People in general are in favor of fossil fuel phaseout.
The survey results also displayed irresistible support for a faster transition away from fossil fuels. It would be worthwhile at this point to remember that for a few years now, whenever leaders meet for climate summits, their major disagreement has been the phaseout of fossil fuels.
However, now, people are not only calling for bolder climate action; but also, a transition to green energy. Environmentalists have observed that the survey shows support by a global majority of 72 percent in favor of a quick transition away from fossil fuels. This is true for countries among the top 10 biggest producers of oil, coal, or gas- including majorities of 89 percent in Nigeria and Türkiye, 80 percent in China, 76 percent in Germany, 75 percent of people in Saudi Arabia, 69 percent in Australia, and 54 percent of people in the United States. Only 7 percent of people globally said their country should not have transition at all.
Within the global matrix, people support stronger climate action in 20 of the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, with majorities ranging from - 66 percent of people in the United States and Russia, to 67 percent in Germany, 73 percent in China, 77 percent in South Africa and India, 85 percent in Brazil, 88 percent in Iran and up to 93 percent in Italy.
In this context, in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and the United States—in these five big emitters- women were more in favor of strengthening their country’s commitments by 10 to 17 percentage points. This gap was biggest in Germany, where women were 17 percentage points more likely than men to want more climate action- 75 percent as opposed to 58 percent.
In addition, interestingly, a majority of people in every country surveyed said rich countries should give more help to poorer countries to address climate change. The poorest countries, those most immediately in need of international support to address climate change— both for adaptation and mitigation measures- were more in favor of rich countries giving additional help to poorer countries—if required, upwards of 30 percent. Globally, around eight in ten people said they wanted rich countries to give more support to poorer countries.
The survey also touched on another sensitive dimension- support for climate change education in schools. The review results showed that people want climate change-related courses in schools. Four in five people or 80 percent globally, called for schools in their country to teach more about the topic related to it. The report has suggested that education is a critical part of addressing the issue of climate change. In schools, especially, young people need to be taught the impact of our changing climate and given the opportunity to learn how to adapt to it and help identify future solutions. One understands that such a measure is now being taken in Bangladesh.
Large majorities in all countries apparently want schools in their countries to do more to teach people about climate change. Significantly higher proportions of people in LDCs (93 percent) supported more education on climate change compared to 74 percent support in G20 countries. In Haiti 99 percent people want more education on climate change in schools. However, support is low in some countries, with only 29 percent in the USA, 26 percent in Indonesia and 21 percent in Papua New Guinea.
We need to realize that this is the first time the public in general has been asked about climate change in a way that relates to their day-to-day lives. According to experts, this will have an important dimension during future discussions.
It may be recalled that the first “Peoples’ Climate Vote” took place in 2021. It surveyed people across 50 countries through advertisements in popular mobile gaming apps. In this regard, Professor Stephen Fisher, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, has observed that “a survey of this size was a huge scientific endeavor. While maintaining rigorous methodology, special efforts were also made to include people from marginalized groups in the poorest parts of the world. This has helped to make available some of the very highest quality global data on public opinions on climate change.”
As world leaders decide on the next round of pledges under the Paris Agreement by 2025, these results are expected to have an influence- as evidence that people everywhere support bold climate action. This has also led Cassie Flynn, Global Director of Climate Change, UNDP, to state that “the Peoples’ Climate Vote has enlisted the voices of people everywhere, including amongst groups traditionally the most difficult to poll. For example, people in nine of the 77 countries surveyed had never before been polled on climate change. The next two years stand as one of the best chances we have as the international community to ensure that warming stays under 1.5°. We stand ready to support policymakers in stepping up their efforts as they develop their climate action plans.”
Such a hope is indeed meaningful in terms of multi-faceted dimensions.
Muhammad Zamir, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialized in foreign affairs, right to information and good governance, can be reached at <muhammadzamir0@gmail.com>
