Major global survey on climate change shows more education and action is needed

More than 80 per cent of people in the UK think the country should do more to tackle the impact of climate change, according to the world’s biggest poll on the subject.

The Peoples’ Climate Vote, carried out by the United Nations Development Programme and the University of Oxford, quizzed people from 77 countries on various subjects such as extreme weather patterns to education on the environment.

In the UK, where more than 11,000 surveys were sent out, with 900 complete responses, it showed there is a clear desire for people to act more decisively when it comes to facing up to global warming.

A total of 84 per cent said the UK should “strengthen its commitments to address climate change”, while 71 per cent of respondents said schools should “do more to teach about climate change” and 80 per cent want the country to do “a lot” when it comes to restoring and protecting nature.

At the same time, more than half (52 per cent) of respondents said climate change hasn’t affected the “big decisions” in their lives, and more than a third (34 per cent) said they only think about climate change “a few times a year”.

This could reflect the attitudes of many living in the Global North, where the impact of climate change is often less severe.

However, in terms of international relations, around two-thirds (67 per cent) of respondents think rich countries should give more help to poorer countries to help them address the effects of climate change.

More than three-quarters (76 per cent) believe more should be done to protect those at risk of suffering from extreme weather – such as flash floods and extreme heat – and a whopping 90 per cent think all countries should work together on tackling climate change, putting aside differences to confront this key issue.

Oceans have been damaged by pollution (Image: Unsplash/Naja Bertolt Jensen)

The differences between the responses from those living in the Global North and those living in the Global South are stark.

Taking Madagascar, for example, where Jesuit Missions supports ecological projects run by the Centre Arrupe in the country’s capital, Antananarivo, it is clear residents are much more fearful of climate change.

From more than 1,000 complete responses, more than half (54 per cent) said they think about climate change daily and 87 per cent said it impacts on the big decisions in their lives.

A total of 71 per cent said extreme weather events were worse this year than last, while 61 per cent said they are more worried about climate change now when compared to 2023.

This is contrasted with the UK results, where 50 per cent of respondents said this year’s extreme weather patterns were worse than last year, and a similar amount (51 per cent) said their fears around climate change had increased during that time.

Laura Angarita, International Programmes Officer at Jesuit Missions, said: “We regularly see the impact climate change and environmental damage has on our partners around the world.

“For example, in Zambia and Zimbabwe, where most of the population works on farms, the lack of rain experienced this winter means they are struggling to produce enough to survive. 

“And in South Sudan, vital classes for schoolchildren had to be cancelled due to soaring summer temperatures.

“It is important that we continue to raise awareness of these issues and encourage world leaders to take quick and firm action to address this growing problem.”

Main image: Unsplash/Wesley Tingey

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