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A global safety charity has emphasised the need for more bipartisan work when it comes to reducing harm from climate change, after finding some of the world’s most contrasting perceptions of the threat it poses to them among people in the USA.
According to the data, taken from the latest report of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll (‘What the world worries about: global perceptions and experiences of risk and harm’), the United States has a high proportion of people who believe climate change will be a threat to people in their country in the next 20 years. Just over half (51%) of them say it is a ‘very serious threat’, while a further 18% feel it is ‘somewhat serious’.
Yet the data – collected by global analytics firm Gallup, who conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world – also found that more than a fifth (21%) of Americans believe climate change isn’t a threat to them at all (the 16th highest proportion in the world).
Respondents in the USA were also found to be less worried about harm from severe weather events than the global average – only 21% say they are ‘very worried’ about this, compared to 37% globally. This may reflect a strong ability to deal with difficult events, the USA having ranked 27th out of 141 countries on the most recent World Risk Poll Resilience Index.
While the proportion of people in the USA who say that climate change is a very serious threat remains unchanged from 2021, the proportion who believe climate change isn’t a threat at all has increased by four percentage points, from 17% in 2021 to 21% in 2023 – significantly above the global average of 16%. Meanwhile, those who believe it is a ‘somewhat serious’ threat have dropped from 23% to 18%.
Globally, fewer people now sit on the fence when it comes to their views on climate change. Only 12% of people around the world say they don’t know whether climate change is a threat, compared to 10% in the USA.
While the proportion of people around the world who view climate change as a very serious threat remains relatively steady (41% in 2019, 39% in 2023), the proportion of people who feel it is a somewhat serious threat has increased by seven percentage points (from 26% in 2021 to 33% in 2023).
Nancy Hey, Director of Evidence and Insight at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, said: “While in some parts of the world, there are now more people saying that climate change is a threat to their country, our data indicates that in some countries risk perception remains split – and that notably includes the United States.
“Given the growing changes to our world facing people globally – including in the USA – responding can’t be a partisan issue. Leaders in all sectors and of all political persuasions can help provide accurate, understandable and timely information on climate risk, and action that can be taken.
“We hope our World Risk Poll data can be used as a tool by leaders in all walks of life, whether in the USA or elsewhere around the world, to help inform their approach, stimulating action to keep people safe.”
With ‘once in a lifetime’ weather events now becoming a regular occurrence, it is not surprising that over two thirds of Americans see climate change as a threat. It is clear from the data found in the Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll that communities are calling out for resilience measures to withstand impacts such as flooding and extreme heat, as well as longer term mitigation efforts to stop the most extreme consequences in the future.
“Climate change doesn’t care about politics and this research reveals a collective call to action for business and government leadership to work together to protect livelihoods and the health of our families.”
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