More than half of residents (57%) believe that climate change is affecting life, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Research Center published on the center’s website. The vast majority (93%) of our fellow citizens believe that climate change has been occurring on the planet in recent years, more often residents of villages (96%). More than half (57%) of them note the impact of such changes on their lives, with 62% of residents of rural areas reporting this. According to the poll, 52% of respondents called global warming a significant problem, while 40% consider this problem far-fetched and overblown.
Most people (62%-76%) are not prepared to increase their payment for various goods and services, even if the money is spent on the introduction of alternative energy sources or on improving the energy efficiency of facilities. However, 94% of respondents expressed their willingness to support the initiative to plant trees in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and said they would participate in such an action.
According to 68% of respondents, the introduction of the European Union “ecological” tax for businesses is a desire to get extra money for the maintenance of EU infrastructure, while 19% consider it a desire to take care of the ecology of the planet. The Sputnik Initiative survey was conducted on September 26, 2020, among residents over 18 years of age by telephone interview. For this sample, the maximum margin of error with 95% probability does not exceed 2.5%.
The Global Situation
The results of the world’s largest public opinion poll on climate show that 64 percent of people believe climate change is a global emergency, and 59 percent of them believe that whatever is needed to fix it should be done as soon as possible. The large-scale poll, conducted October-December 2020, included 1.2 million people from 50 countries, where 56% of the world’s population lives.
The people most convinced that climate change is a global emergency are those living in small island states that are already experiencing its effects directly: rising sea levels lead to flooding of their territories. 74% of the residents of such states responded positively to this question. The same is true for 72% of respondents in Western Europe and North America and 65% in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Russia, this opinion was held by 65%. And 49% of people think that it is necessary to take urgent measures to remedy the situation.
Questions in The Survey
The survey also included opinions about the most important measures to combat climate change in all areas of life, including energy, the economy, transportation, nature, agriculture, and food production. The majority of respondents think that it is necessary to protect and conserve forests and land (54%), to use solar, wind, and renewable energy (53%), and to use agricultural methods that do not lead to climate change (52%).
In Brazil, Indonesia, and Argentina, where there is extensive deforestation, 60%, 57%, and 57%, respectively, of those surveyed, consider forest and land conservation important. In the countries with the highest emissions in the electricity and heat sectors, most respondents saw a need for renewable energy: the US (65%), Australia (76%), Canada (73%), Germany (71%), etc. In 9 of the 10 countries with the highest level of urbanization, the majority of citizens support the use of clean transport and urban planning that takes into account the negative impact on the climate. This was the opinion of 73% of respondents in the UK, 67% in Canada, 66% in Australia, and 56% in the US.
In recent years, the Earth’s climate has changed markedly, with some countries suffering from abnormal heat waves, and others from winters that are too harsh and snowy for their liking.
Environmentalists are talking about global climate change, including an increase in average annual temperatures, causing glaciers to melt, and rising sea levels. In addition to warming, there is also an imbalance in all-natural systems, leading to changes in precipitation patterns, temperature anomalies, and an increased frequency of extreme events such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts. If you want to know more information about the study, I advise you to go to the link https://jcgstore.com/www-talktonandos-guide/ where you will find detailed information. You can also find out all the questions and the purpose of the study.
The Climate Now
While scientists used to have to prove that the climate crisis was real, residents are now noticing climate change with their own eyes: more frequent and destructive hurricanes, freezing rain, heat waves, drought, and floods. Moreover, over the past decade the number of natural hazards, which cause tangible damage to human health and the economy, has more than tripled.
Scientific research has shown that modern warming is due to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. It cannot be explained by natural cycles, but is primarily caused by human activities: burning fossil fuels – oil, coal, and gas – in power plants and internal combustion engines, reducing forest areas due to fires, decomposition of organic waste in landfills, agriculture, especially cattle breeding.
What to Do?
First, we need to improve the environmental surveillance system. Indeed, it will take time and resources to upgrade and modernize such a large-scale system, but investing in monitoring and risk management can have huge long-term benefits. The use of more advanced satellite technology, developments in big data analysis, and artificial intelligence will make it possible to significantly reduce the cost of environmental monitoring tasks.
Second, digital technology should be used to make the risks and consequences of climate change clearer, especially since it is now cheaper, more connected, and more accurate. To begin with, existing data platforms can be adapted and connected to Russian systems and databases. This will primarily benefit ecologically problematic areas and fragile ecosystems, such as the Arctic.
For example, digital elevation models and programs for mapping high-risk areas of natural disasters can be used to inform strategic decisions on infrastructure investment, as well as to inform local populations.
That’s It!
So, the average temperature on the planet is rising, weather patterns are changing, and ecosystems are becoming different. To what extent are human activities contributing to this? According to scientists who were part of an interdisciplinary team of specialists from different countries, climate shifts are increasingly caused by a combination of factors, such as human consumption of fossil fuels, deforestation, and land-use change. Their impact is increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which in turn is increasing the natural greenhouse effect. There is little doubt: we are responsible for climate change.