Developing Nations Must Negotiate ‘Hard’ on Climate Change: Centre for Science

In Asia, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam are among the most concerned about the effects of climate change with 76 percent, 72 percent, and 69 percent of respondents respectively stating they agree that “Global climate change is a very serious problem”.

Just 18 percent of Chinese citizens believe climate change is “a very serious concern”, the lowest rate among the 40 nations included in the research.

Another survey across 40 countries shows what most Americans already know: we don’t think global warming is a serious problem and it’s not one of our main concerns.

In Germany, adherents of the Green Party, which is not part of the ruling government coalition, are significantly more likely (75%) than backers of both ruling coalition partners, the right-of-center Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (43%) and the left-of-center Social Democratic Party (62%), to see climate change as a very serious problem.

“Countries must work toward the common interest, beyond narrow national interests”, declared Mr. Ban in a briefing to an informal meeting of the General Assembly on the ongoing preparations for the 21st Conference of States Parties to the UN Framework convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known as COP21, to be held in the French capital from 30 November to 11 December.

“Moreover, a median of 78 percent support the idea of their country limiting greenhouse gas emissions as part of an global agreement in Paris”. China and India, in particular, come in at first and third place respectively in terms of total emissions. Americans and Chinese, whose nations are the world’s biggest emitters, were surprisingly less concerned than others.

Problem is, the pledges made would still result in a global temperature increase of 6.3 degrees, or almost twice what climate scientists say would be cataclysmic, according to Climate Interactive, the source of carbon data used by the US and other countries.

Young people are looking to business to address the challenges of climate change, with almost a fifth (19%) of students saying that when they graduate it will be important that any future employer is doing this.

Mxakato-Diseko, who chairs a key group of 134 developing states at the climate talks, insisted success in Paris next month would hinge on industrialised countries committing more public money to help poorer nations adapt to growing climate stresses and adopt renewable energy. Mike Lee (R-UT) called on Congress to assert its constitutional powers ahead of the upcoming United Nations climate-change negotiations in Paris.

Extreme heat events in Korea and China were also linked to human-caused climate change. He said the Armenian government will get worldwide financial support and technology to implement the program.

According to Elver, food security faces “severe and distinct threats” due to climate change, which could push an additional 600 million people into a situation of malnutrition by 2080.