The world is ready for climate action

As global leaders gather in Glasgow for COP26 for the most important climate negotiations in years, people across the world expect governments to take action—and they are ready to do their part. The best science says we still have a narrow window to act, and many citizens are optimistic about our ability to do so. Now is the time to prove them right.

In September 2021, Deloitte surveyed more than 23,000 people across 23 countries to understand their perceptions of climate change and what should be done about it. The outcomes are outlined below:

• People are anxious about the impact of climate change
  Among respondents, 57 percent said they “felt worried or anxious about climate change” within the last month, and 72 percent said they “believe climate change is an emergency”.
• Climate change is having a direct impact on people’s daily lives
  Given the level of anxiety, it’s perhaps not surprising that almost half of respondents (49 percent) said they had directly experienced one or more events in the last six months that the scientific consensus says are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.
• Citizens everywhere want more climate action from their leaders
  Across age groups, sex, and income levels, two-thirds of those surveyed (67 percent) said their government should do more to fight climate change.
• People are prepared to do their own part to mitigate climate change
  Globally, 52 percent said they would support new climate regulation, even if it made some goods or services more expensive or unavailable. Higher income households were more likely to support such regulation, a reminder that the costs of addressing climate change must be borne equitably across society.