Climate change concern on wane
Source: Agencies |
December 7, 2009, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
World concern about climate change has fallen in the past two years, according to an opinion poll yesterday, the eve of 190-nation talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, meant to agree upon a United Nations deal to fight global warming.
The Nielsen-Oxford University survey showed that 37 percent of more than 27,000 Internet users in 54 countries said they were "very concerned" about climate change, down from 41 percent in a similar poll two years ago.
"Global concern for climate change cools off," Nielsen Co said of the poll, taken in October. It linked the decline to the world economic slowdown.
In the United States, the only industrialized nation outside the UN's existing Kyoto Protocol for curbing emissions, the number of those very concerned fell to 25 percent from 34.
China was among few nations surveyed where the number of people very concerned rose, to 36 percent from 30 percent.
The survey indicated the highest levels of concern were in Latin America and Asian-Pacific countries, topped by the Philippines on 78 percent.
In Copenhagen, the UN's top climate official yesterday conceded that hacked e-mails from climate scientists had damaged the image of global warming research but said evidence of a warming Earth was solid.
Yvo de Boer said the e-mails pilfered from a British university fueled skepticism among those who believe the science is manipulated to exaggerate global warming.
De Boer defended the rigorous review process by some 2,500 scientists of climate change research as "solid and thorough."
The Nielsen-Oxford University survey showed that 37 percent of more than 27,000 Internet users in 54 countries said they were "very concerned" about climate change, down from 41 percent in a similar poll two years ago.
"Global concern for climate change cools off," Nielsen Co said of the poll, taken in October. It linked the decline to the world economic slowdown.
In the United States, the only industrialized nation outside the UN's existing Kyoto Protocol for curbing emissions, the number of those very concerned fell to 25 percent from 34.
China was among few nations surveyed where the number of people very concerned rose, to 36 percent from 30 percent.
The survey indicated the highest levels of concern were in Latin America and Asian-Pacific countries, topped by the Philippines on 78 percent.
In Copenhagen, the UN's top climate official yesterday conceded that hacked e-mails from climate scientists had damaged the image of global warming research but said evidence of a warming Earth was solid.
Yvo de Boer said the e-mails pilfered from a British university fueled skepticism among those who believe the science is manipulated to exaggerate global warming.
De Boer defended the rigorous review process by some 2,500 scientists of climate change research as "solid and thorough."
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