18 December 2009

Surveys Show Broad Consensus in U.S., Mideast on Global Warming

Public opinion not necessarily split between developed, developing nations

 

A street demonstration in Copenhagen, site of the U.N. Climate Change Conference

A street demonstration in Copenhagen, site of the U.N. Climate Change Conference

By Howard Cincotta
Special Correspondent

Washington — It may sometimes seem that nations around the world hold opinions on climate change that are as variable as the weather itself. Yet at the same time, consistent majorities in most of the developed and developing world agree that global warming is a serious issue requiring international action, according to a number of recent surveys.

The latest, the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, found that all 25 nations surveyed considered global warming a serious problem, and majorities in 15 of them rated it “very serious,” even though awareness and concern about climate change can vary widely.

A closer examination of the Pew Center’s data reveals that viewpoints did not necessarily split along the developed-developing nation axis at all.

A similar pattern is apparent when comparing U.S. views with those of countries surveyed in the Middle East and South Asia.

SURVEY FINDINGS

Forty-four percent of Americans rated global warming in the top “very serious” category, compared to Israel (48 percent), Pakistan (50 percent), Lebanon (53 percent), Egypt and Jordan (54 percent), Palestinian Territories (59 percent), and India, the highest, at 67 percent.

The highest ranking for regarding climate change as “very serious” went to Brazil, with a striking 90 percent, contrasted to China’s lowest ranking at 30 percent.

More remarkable are the responses to the question of whether environmental protection is worthwhile if it slows economic growth and causes “some loss of jobs” — an area where divisions between affluent and poorer nations might be widest. Instead, majorities in 23 of 25 countries agreed that such sacrifices are warranted, according to Pew’s findings.

Those who agree with the view that helping the environment can require some economic sacrifices are 64 percent of Americans, with 33 percent in disagreement. Among the nations surveyed in the Middle East and South Asia, the agree/disagree split was 71/29 Lebanon, 71/26 Palestinian Territories, 65/31 percent Israel, 53/45 Egypt, 84/15 India, and 57/27 Pakistan.

Only in Jordan did a majority disagree: 58 percent, with only 39 percent who agree, in the Pew survey.

These findings are generally supported by the results of other recent international opinion polls.

Between 2007 and 2008, the Gallup research organization conducted a comprehensive survey in 128 countries, asking just two questions: 1) How much do you know about global warming or climate change, and 2) How serious of a threat is global warming to you and your family?

A clear majority of those surveyed worldwide indicated they know “something” or “a great deal” about global warming (61 percent), although only a plurality (41 percent) rated it “very or somewhat serious.”

There remains a significant minority of the world’s population, however, who lack any real awareness of climate change or perceive any threat from it, according to Gallup.

The numbers of those with no knowledge of climate change vary considerably by region: 48 percent of sub-Saharan Africans, 41 percent in North Africa and the Middle East, 24 percent in Asia, 14 percent in the Americas, and only 8 percent in Europe.

On the eve of the Copenhagen climate summit, a survey in 12 countries by the London-based banking giant HSBC found that almost 80 percent of respondents supported deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions of 50 percent or more by 2050.

Although climate change ranked fourth among critical issues in HSBC’s 2009 Climate Confidence Monitor (with global economic stability first), 65 percent urged conclusion of a strong, binding climate treaty in Copenhagen, and 48 percent claimed they were taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints.

“This is a clear call from the global population for a strong and effective deal,” said a senior HSBC adviser.

VARIABLE VIEWS

A review of U.S. public opinion on climate in recent years reveals significant fluctuations in polling results that experts attribute to factors as variable as the state of the economy, political affiliation, and even the local weather.

In April 2008, for example, a Pew Research survey found that 71 percent of Americans believed there was “solid evidence” for global warming; a year and half later, that number had dropped to 57 percent. At the same time, the percentage calling for stricter regulations to protect the environment remained unchanged at 83 percent.

Why these disparities? Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, points to the U.S. economic recession as the chief culprit.

“Americans want to do something about climate change,” he said in a newspaper interview, “but it’s not as sharp as it would be in a different economic climate.”

Kohut also cites the intense partisan split between Democrats and Republicans on such issues as health care and government spending — as well as climate change. Even the fact that substantial parts of the United States experienced a cooler than usual summer in 2009 may be a factor, he suggests.

A joint study by Yale University in Connecticut and George Mason University in Virginia, Climate Change in the American Mind, sees much the same pattern.

While economic concerns ranked highest, the study found that global warming still remained a high priority for the majority of Americans — and 72 percent said that it was an important issue to them personally.

For more information, see the Pew Research Center’s surveys, “Global Warming Seen as a Major Problem Around the World” and “Fewer Americans See Solid Evidence of Global Warming.”