According to a new poll by GlobeScan, public support for a strong global deal on climate has dropped, as only four out of 20 countries have a majority that are confident their governments will set ambitious targets at the global climate conference in Paris next week. In comparison, a similar poll undertaken before the last climate conference in Copenhagen 2009, eight countries had a majority public vote in favour of ambitious targets. Surprisingly, less than half of those surveyed felt that climate change was a "very serious" issue, compared with 63% in the 2009 poll. The survey also found that more people now believe there is no need for action against climate change, and fewer feel it is urgent enough to take action. However, Lionel Bellier, a GlobeScan spokesman, explained the result were "not an abrupt change of views, the trend seems to be now towards a softer approach." Former UN Executive Secretary, Yvo de Boer, also said the findings follow from what was a significant disappointment at the last climate conference, and since then, the financial crisis is likely to have shifted public focus toward more direct economic concerns.
According to a new poll by GlobeScan, public support for a strong global deal on climate has dropped, as only four out of 20 countries have a majority that are confident their governments will set ambitious targets at the global climate conference in Paris next week. In comparison, a similar poll undertaken before the last climate conference in Copenhagen 2009, eight countries had a majority public vote in favour of ambitious targets. Surprisingly, less than half of those surveyed felt that climate change was a "very serious" issue, compared with 63% in the 2009 poll. Countries involved in the survey included major carbon emitters such as USA, China, India, Indonesia and Brazil. However, Lionel Bellier, a GlobeScan spokesman, explained the result were "not an abrupt change of views, the trend seems to be now towards a softer approach." Former UN Executive Secretary, Yvo de Boer, also said the findings follow from what was a significant disappointment at the last climate conference, and since then, the financial crisis is likely to have shifted public focus toward more direct economic concerns.