London, November 02: People in India and other developing countries, blamed for doing little to combat global warming, seem to be more concerned about the problem than their counterparts in developed countries, according to a latest survey.
The annual Climate Confidence Monitor found that while about 42 per cent of people in India and Brazil are worried over global warming, about 50 per cent of the people in developing nations in general are concerned about the problem.
Shockingly, the study found that the number of people worrying about the menace has declined by 8 per cent to a third with Britons being the least concerned.
Just 15 per cent of people in Britain worry about the problem, the lowest figure for any of the 12 countries surveyed. The figure is down from 26 per cent last year.
In the US, the world’s second largest emitter, 18 per cent of people said global warming was one of their biggest concerns followed by 22 per cent in Australia, The Telegraph reported.
Britain also tops the list of most pessimistic nation as far as the world’s ability to tackle climate change is concerned.
Almost half of the people in the country believe nothing can be done to combat the crisis compared to 38 per cent worldwide, said the report that questioned 1,000 people in each country.
India, China and other developing countries are blamed for doing very little to combat global warming. They have been asked by industrialised nations – led by the US – to set a higher target of emission cut to make the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen a successful one.
However, analysts say rich and developing countries must act together to create an agreement that will lay the foundations for a future era of dynamic low-carbon growth The survey also found that people still believe that action should be taken.
On average, almost half of people say they are taking some action to reduce their carbon footprint such as switching off lights, walking rather than driving or recycling.
This is a rise of 7 per cent since 2007.
In the run up the December summit, nearly two thirds of people in the world think a global deal to cut emissions is important, said the survey.
The US was the only country where less than half the population thought world needed to take action compared to 86 per cent in Brazil and 75 per cent in China – the world’s biggest emitter.
The study, which has been running for three years, has been commissioned by HSBC.
–Agencies