Climate matters, and that’s not just the opinion of the Columbia Climate Center. Recent surveys in the US and overseas indicate that most people see climate change as a threat; even those that don’t consider it a serious problem agree that it is worth addressing.
In a recent survey of twelve countries, made by HSBC and five partners, almost half of the respondents identified climate change to be a bigger threat than the ongoing financial crisis. The Climate Confidence Monitor (report here) also includes a comparison with results from their first survey in 2007. News about the HSBC survey was picked up by The Guardian and the BBC.
One thousand people in each country, including developed (e.g. France, Canada, Germany and the US) and rapidly developing (e.g. China, India, Brazil and Malaysia) nations, showed a consistent level of concern and agreed that governments are not doing enough. Respondents felt that governments are emphasizing indirect actions, such as carbon trading and participating in international negotiations, when they should be enhancing renewable energy sources, halting deforestation, and conserving water and ecosystems.
