40 per cent of the world's population has never heard of climate change

Two out of five adults worldwide have never heard of climate change, a new report has found.

In North America, Europe, and Japan, more than 90% of the public is aware of climate change.

However in many developing countries, relatively few are aware of the issue, although many do report having observed changes in local weather patterns.

Anthony Leiserowitz, a co-author and study lead of the report, said:

Overall, we find that about 40 per cent of adults worldwide have never heard of climate change.

This rises to more than 65 per cent in some developing countries, like Egypt, Bangladesh, and India.

The research team also found that education levels tend to be the single strongest factor when predicting a person’s awareness of climate change.

Mr Leiserowitz said:

The results also indicate that improving basic education, climate literacy and public understanding of the local dimensions of climate change are vital for public engagement and support for climate action.

Japan has the highest awareness of climate change, 99 per cent, while Liberia has the lowest, 15 per cent.

Only 15 per cent in Tanzania believed climate change is caused by human activity.

In the UK awareness is at 97 per cent, with 48 per cent believing climate change is caused by human activity and 69 per cent seeing it as a threat.

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