Despite the ongoing global financial crisis, a new poll of 11 countries, including Canada, shows nearly half are still more worried about climate change.
The Climate Confidence Monitor 2008, which surveyed 12,000 people around the world, found 43 per cent of respondents chose climate change ahead of global economic stability when asked about their top three concerns.
Worldwide, 48 per cent of people believe governments should be playing a leading role in tackling climate change but only 25 per cent think they are actually doing so.
"Without greater government leadership, people's individual engagement with the issue is stalling: willingness to make further changes to lifestyles, contribute more time and spend extra money are all down compared to 2007," says the report.
Researchers found the global community wants its governments to focus on "big issue" direct actions, such as increasing investment in renewable energy, halting deforestation, conserving water resources and protecting ecosystems.
The indirect activities that many governments are focusing on, such as carbon markets and taxation systems, are seen by consumers as less of a priority, says the report.
The vast majority of people, 78 per cent, want their countries to take on at least their "fair share" of emissions reductions, in proportion to their current share of global emissions.
"This sense of sharing responsibility for reductions suggests a different picture to that being played out in international negotiations," says the report.
Noteworthy numbers:
- In Canada, 34 per cent of respondents said climate change and how governments respond to it are among the biggest issues they worry about.
- Only 6 per cent of Canadians, compared to 55 per cent in China, said the people and organizations that should be doing something about climate change are doing what is needed.
- Twenty-nine per cent of Canadians said they are personally making a "significant effort" to help reduce climate change in their daily living.
- Nine per cent said they believed climate change will be stopped, compared to 47 per cent in China and 12 per cent in the U.S.
"Despite clear concern about climate change and a demonstrably fair attitude to national emission reductions, the picture that has emerged from this year's Climate Confidence Monitor is one of consumers stalling in their own efforts and not appreciating those of their governments," says the report.
"Governments and companies have a greater role to play both in creating low-carbon opportunities and in helping consumers better understand the options and implications."
The survey -- which included research in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and U.S.A., Brazil, China, the Hong Kong SAR, India, Malaysia and Mexico -- was done on behalf of the HSBC Climate Partnership, which includes environmental groups and business.
