Climate Consensus Grows With Understanding Of What People See

Mind the gaps: how experience data can help fight climate change

Ali Henriques, 14 February 2022 (World Economic Forum)

“…[A study of more than 11,000 people in 28 countries found] 78% agree that climate change is human-caused and 87% believe it is extremely important for countries to work together to address the problem…[But there is little] consensus about who is responsible for taking action and who is trusted to do so…[That] difficulty of agreeing on how to work together and what to focus on has proven to be a stumbling block in the way of progress…[W]hile 81% say businesses are primarily responsible for taking action, only 28% trust businesses’ claims about sustainable practices…

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Understanding people’s experiences is crucial to knowing what solutions will drive impact. Experience data – data that reveals how people are thinking, feeling and behaving – can help governments and businesses understand what motivates people to support climate efforts and make sustainable changes of their own in order to restore and sustain the healthy planet we all want to live on…[T]erms such as renewable, net-zero emissions, recycled and carbon offset can leave consumers confused about what a company is actually doing for the environment…

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…[G]reenwashing (or conveying false or misleading information about the environmental impact of a company’s products and services) is a growing problem and one of the main reasons there is so little trust in businesses’ claims…More than half of the people in the study (59%) believe governments are doing too little to address climate change…Most people trust what scientists are saying about the consequences of inaction, but 51%, say change is happening too slowly…Public trust in climate science is higher than ever…[Understanding people’s experiences will further] build consensus around solutions that really drive impact.” click here for more

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