They're the two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases in the world — but the US and China have very different ideas about tackling the problem of climate change.
In a new survey taken months before officials meet for perhaps the most significant climate-change talks ever held, YouGov found that people in the US and UK lag far behind countries including China in wanting those talks to produce a meaningful commitment to address climate change.
In December, international representatives will meet in Paris to discuss an international agreement that some think could be humanity's last chance to limit the terrible effects climate change could have on the world and its population. But much of the US and the UK don't want their governments to do anything at all.
Reluctance in the UK and US for officials to address climate change might be a result of the belief among many that there is no problem at all. Asked "how serious a problem, if at all", it was, 32 per cent of people said either not at all or not very.
But those differences are likely to change the way that the negotiations in December are handled, as well as how their results are seen. Around the world most people want their governments to set ambitious targets and so could end up disappointing if the climate change talks fall through.
But given the unwillingness of people in the UK and US — major polluters, as well as international powers — to ask for similarly ambitious targets, talks could be held back. "Despite some lingering doubts, particularly in the US, a failure to reach an agreement in Paris would likely be met with disappointment throughout much of the world," YouGov notes.
Read more at: UK and US main barriers to addressing climate change, survey finds - The Times of India
