Koreans Rank 3rd Globally in Concern About Climate Change

European Countries Criticize US Climate Change Response as 'Inadequate'

(Photo by CNN)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] A survey revealed that Koreans are the third most concerned about the climate change crisis worldwide.

According to CNN and others on the 14th (local time), a survey conducted by the U.S. polling organization Pew Research Center targeting 16,000 people across 17 countries worldwide showed that 72% of respondents overall are worried about personal harm caused by climate change.

The country feeling the greatest sense of crisis is Greece. Among respondents in Greece, 57% answered that they are 'very concerned' about climate change, followed by Spain (46%) and South Korea (45%), ranking third.

In South Korea, the response rate increased from 32% in 2015 to 45% this year. Germany and the United Kingdom also saw a sharp rise from 18% and 19% respectively in 2015 to 37% this year.

Additionally, countries such as Australia, Canada, and France saw an increase of 6 to 16 percentage points in the proportion of respondents worried about damage caused by climate change compared to 2015.

Change in the percentage of respondents expressing concern about personal harm due to climate change (Source: Pew Research)

Japan was the only country where the number of respondents expressing concern about climate change significantly decreased from 34% in 2015 to 26% this year.

By generation, younger people showed greater concern. According to the survey, 71% of respondents aged 18 to 29 were worried about personal harm, whereas only 52% of respondents aged 65 and older expressed concern.

Also, women were more concerned than men about the personal impact of climate change. In Germany, 69% of male respondents expressed concern, while 82% of female respondents did so.

The Pew Research Center stated that 80% of respondents indicated a willingness to change their lifestyle to reduce the impact of climate change.

Among European countries, more than half of respondents in Greece, Italy, and Spain said they were willing to change their lifestyle, but fewer than one-third of respondents in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands answered 'yes.'

Only 56% of people overall responded that the current societal efforts to address climate change are 'going well.' In Sweden and the United Kingdom, 7 out of 10 respondents said efforts are going well, while Singapore and New Zealand recorded the highest levels, with 8 out of 10 respondents saying efforts are going well.

Furthermore, in European countries including Spain, the United States was judged to be inadequately responding to the climate change crisis. In most European countries except the United Kingdom and Greece, one-quarter of respondents evaluated the U.S. efforts on climate change as very insufficient.

This survey was conducted this spring before the floods in Germany, China, and the United States, and the heatwaves that swept across the Northern Hemisphere.

Erri Yamasumi, a UN climate strategy and policy expert, said in an interview with CNN, "This survey shows that many people not only in the poorest and developing countries but also in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region are concerned about the personal threats posed by climate change."