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Global Challenges Foundation Risk Survey: The Pulse of International Sentiment
Concerns about climate change, its long-term effects and political counteractions are among the key issues addressed by respondents to a Global Challenges Foundation survey to understand public views on climate change, poverty and armed conflicts. South Africa joins eight other countries in responding that climate change is a threat to mankind and both political and personal actions are necessary to counter its effects.
In today's release, the Global Challenges Foundation provides a comparative, international look at public views on climate change among nine countries: the United States , Brazil , China , Russia , Poland , Germany , India , South Africa and Sweden . Over 1,000 online surveys were conducted in each country, commissioned in February 2014 . Of respondents in South Africa , 71% definitively believe that climate change is a severe threat to mankind, with 88% marking human activity primarily in the form of greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation as the main reason for global warming.
"This survey was commissioned by the Global Challenges Foundation to provide insights on a global scale of how the public views changes in our environment and what solutions may be necessary to address them," said Johan Rockström, Professor in Environmental Science and board member of the foundation.
Overall, respondents in South Africa are highly concerned about climate change and support both personal and political actions:
The Global Challenges Foundation was founded in Sweden at the end of 2011 by investor László Szombatfalvy. Since the beginning of 2013, Margot Wallström, former EU Commissioner and Swedish Government Minister, and Johan Rockström, Executive Director of Stockholm Resilience Centre and Professor in Environmental Science at Stockholm University , have joined the Board. Margot Wallström is the official spokesperson of the foundation.
http://globalchallenges.org/globalsurvey
Carin Ism, Coordinator
Global Challenges Foundation
Stureplan 4C
114 35 Stockholm Sweden
Phone: +46-7-35-266-786
carin@globalchallenges.org