Public Opinion on Global Climate Change in Developed Countries: Five Case Studies

Developed countries are more likely to be high emitters of green-house gases, and it is important that these countries are aware of the issue of global climate change and possible human contributions to that problem. Given their status as developed countries, one would think that public opinion on the sources of global climate change would be similar across nations, but this is not true. There is a lack of consensus among countries about the effects of human activity on global temperature variation, as opposed to natural fluctuation in global climate. Using case studies of the United States, France, Canada, Japan, and Australia, public opinion on the sources of global climate change, and why these sources differ from country to country, is measured. Each country is examined on the criteria of wealth per capita, average education level, density of the population, awareness of global climate change, and perceived sources of climate changes. These five countries, although possessing similar levels of wealth and development, differ greatly in their public opinion about the causes and the seriousness of global climate change