NEW YORK, US– A majority of people worldwide, according to groundbreaking public opinion research, want more aggressive actions and wish to get past geopolitical obstacles to combat the climate catastrophe.
According to the standalone public opinion survey on climate change, The Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024, 80 per cent of people worldwide, or four out of five, want their governments to address the climate catastrophe aggressively.
A larger majority, 86 per cent, desire that their nations put aside geopolitical disagreements and cooperate on climate change mitigation. In light of the current global context of heightened violence and the growth of nationalism, the extent of consensus is particularly startling.
For the survey conducted for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the University of Oxford, UK, and GeoPoll, over 75,000 people speaking 87 languages across 77 countries were asked 15 questions on climate change.
How The Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024 questions were designed
The questions 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 represent 87 per cent of the global population.
“The Peoples’ Climate Vote is loud and clear. Global citizens want their leaders to transcend their differences, act now and boldly to fight the climate crisis,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.
The survey results seen by Y News reveal a level of consensus that is truly astonishing.
“We urge leaders and policymakers to 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,” Achim added.
Amidst a pivotal year of elections and with COP29 on the horizon, these results offer a groundbreaking public snapshot of the world’s position on climate change.
What does the UNEP survey say about the Kenyan situation
In Kenya, where since March 2024, deadly floods have killed nearly 170 people and displaced 185,000, the Peoples’ Climate Vote found that:
A near total majority (96%) of people said countries should work together on climate change even if they disagree on other issues, such as trade or security.
Most people (85%) said they want more protection from their country’s extreme weather events, such as storms and extreme heat.
Two-thirds (66%) of people said they factor climate change into big decisions, such as where to live, work, or what to buy a lot.
Over half (57%) said the government has had the most impact in addressing climate change.
Meanwhile, the survey found that 20 of the largest greenhouse gas emitters in the world support more decisive climate action.
The majority of respondents in the US and Russia were 66 per cent; Germany, 67 per cent; China, 77 per cent; South Africa and India, 85 per cent; Brazil, 88 per cent; Iran, and up to 93 per cent supported the measures.
Within the five major emitters (Canada, the United States, France, Germany, and Australia), women supported bolstering their nation’s pledges by 10 to 17 percentage points more than men.
The most significant disparity was found in Germany, where women expressed a 17-point preference for greater climate action (75 per cent vs 58 per cent) over men.
What experts said about The Peoples’ Climate Vote 2024
Prof. Stephen Fisher, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, said a survey of this size was a huge scientific endeavour.
“While maintaining rigorous methodology, special efforts were also made to include people from marginalised groups in the poorest parts of the world. This is some of the very highest quality global data on public opinions on climate change available,” Fisher said.
Cassie Flynn, Global Director of Climate Change at UNDP, said as world leaders decide on the next round of pledges under the Paris Agreement by 2025, these results are undeniable evidence that people everywhere support bold climate action.
“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,” Cassie explained.
What the international needs to do to reduce global warming
Cassie reiterated that the next two years are the best chance the international community has to ensure that global warming stays under 1.5°.
“We stand ready to support policymakers in stepping up their efforts as they develop their climate action plans through our Climate Promise initiative,” Cassie added.
Y News understands that over 100 developing countries submitted enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) during the second revision cycle of UNDP’s Climate Promise initiative.
Of these, 91 per cent raised their targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and 93 per cent also strengthened adaptation goals.
