This is what people think policymakers should do to tackle climate change

Fear of losing public support has left many policymakers and business leaders reluctant to implement sustainability changes, but many people want leaders to go further, a new study shows.

A recent joint survey by the World Economic Forum, SAP and Qualtrics found 59% of global respondents think governments are doing too little to protect the environment.

While four out of five people surveyed agreed that working together to combat climate change should be a priority, opinions differed between regions about the role of policymakers.

More than three quarters of those surveyed in Sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Europe & Central Asia thought current laws and regulations to protect the environment were insufficient.

However, this was in stark contrast to regions like South Asia, East Asia & the Pacific and Middle East & North Africa, where 41% of respondents said environmental protection policy measures in their countries were “too much”.

Globally, more than a third of those taking part in the survey thought the environment should be prioritized over the economy, even if it slows business down. Support for an environment-first approach was highest in regions like the Middle East & North Africa (41%), Western Europe and South Asia (both at 38%).

Western Europe, together with North America, also showed high levels of support for the counter-view. In both regions, one fifth of those surveyed were in favor of prioritizing economic growth over the environment, even if the environment suffered as a result.

There was more of a consensus about policies directed at making polluters accountable for the emissions they generate.

The survey found overwhelming global support for levying environmental taxes on businesses that pollute. Almost four in five people were either strongly or somewhat in favor of adopting a polluter pays approach to emissions.

North America and Sub-Saharan Africa showed significantly higher levels of opposition to policies that tax heavy-emitting companies than respondents in the Middle East, Latin America and South Asia.

Researchers surveyed more than 11,500 respondents across 28 countries in eight regions of the world, made up of 70% general consumers and 30% corporate representatives.

The findings showed that renewable energy solutions and air pollution were the two key climate related concerns that people thought leaders should address — both issues were important to more than half of those surveyed.

Regionally, respondents in Eastern Europe & Central Asia were notably more concerned about air pollution levels than other regions. The focus on renewable energy sources was more evenly spread, with sub-Saharan Africa showing the most support of any region.

Concerns about resource scarcity peaked at 32% of respondents in Latin America & Caribbean, while natural disasters were of highest concern to people in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Other key areas people are concerned about include: climate-smart agriculture, mitigating biodiversity loss and the impact on people’s everyday lives of reaching climate targets.

These are some of the issues addressed by the World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit, hosted alongside the UN General Assembly. The summit brings together global leaders to help address Sustainable Development Goals.