What are the world’s top climate concerns?

People around the world are most concerned about drought as an effect of climate change, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center.

The report explores global public opinion in relation to climate change based on more than 45,000 telephone and face-to-face interviews across 40 countries.

The following chart shows the top four concerns by the global average of respondents, naming the effect of climate change that worries them most.

Almost half (44%) of respondents named drought or water shortages as their most pressing concern. In Latin America and Africa, 59% of respondents said it was their biggest concern.

Next on the list is severe weather, such as storms or flooding, which is the top concern for people living in Asia Pacific (34%).

Long periods of unusually hot weather was the third most concerning effect, with a global average of 14% saying they were most worried about it. In the Middle East, 19% of the population is most concerned about this effect.

The final impact was rising sea levels, with 6% of people placing this top on their list of climate worries. For respondents in the United States, rising waters are seen as the biggest threat – 17% of people naming it as the most concerning effect.

Have you read?
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Author: Joe Myers is a Digital Content Producer at Formative Content.

Image: A drought-related cactus installation by Brazilian artist Mundano. December 2, 2014. REUTERS/Nacho Doce