Climate change is one of the top three concerns globally, on par with economic stability and terrorism, according to HSBC's fourth Climate Confidence Monitor. On average 38 percent of survey respondents strongly agree that climate change is among their biggest concerns. This ranges from 57 percent in China to 16 percent in the UK. Eighteen percent of U.S. respondents say climate change is one of their biggest issues.
The survey, "Climate Confidence Monitor" (PDF) finds that 64 percent of respondents in China claim to be making a significant effort to help reduce climate change, compared to 23 percent in the UK, 20 percent in the U.S. and 11 percent in Japan.
The report also reveals that one in three people in Vietnam, India and China believe climate change can be halted, compared to just one in twenty in France and the UK. Survey respondents in Hong Kong and Vietnam also rank climate change as their number one concern.
In terms of creating jobs, more than half of respondents in Brazil, India and Malaysia strongly agreed their country would prosper and create new jobs by responding to climate change. In comparison, one-third of respondents in the UK and the U.S. think economic opportunities and new jobs can be created.
The survey also indicates that businesses need to address climate change. Nearly 75 percent of respondents in France and 67 percent in Germany agreed that greater business investment is needed. NGOs and individuals were seen as central to the effort, backed up by effective government intervention such as carbon taxes and emissions trading schemes, say researchers.
Another HSBC report indicates that annual capital investment in the green economy would grow from an annualized $460 billion in 2010 to $1.5 trillion in 2020.
Lightspeed Research conducted the online survey of 15,000 consumers in fifteen countries between August 25 and September 10.
