Global warming worries Pinoys

Three of every four Filipinos believe there is a need to address global warming, but at a gradual pace to temper the economic costs, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed.

SWS said 12 countries including the Philippines were polled in the survey conducted from Sept. 24 to Oct. 2, 2006, in partnership with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs (CCGA) and WorldPublicOpinion.org (WPO).

The survey firm said  "majorities in all but one country favor taking actions to deal with global warming.’’

It said those who favor taking actions believe "global warming is a serious and pressing problem’’ and that the problem "should be addressed, but its effects will be gradual.’’

Based on the survey, Australia has the largest proportion of those in favor at 92 percent, while India has the smallest with 49 percent.

"The Philippines is in the middle of the range, with 76 percent saying global warming should be addressed," SWS said.

Survey results showed China has 83 percent; Israel, 83 percent; Argentina, 82 percent; United States, 80 percent; Poland, 69 percent; Armenia, 69 percent; Thailand, 68 percent; Ukraine, 67 percent; and Russia, 66 percent.

While those polled in the 12 countries agreed that global warming is real, there were differences over how much should be spent to address it.

The view that global warming "is a serious and pressing problem’’ that needs to be dealt with quickly "even if this involves significant costs’’ is most prevalent in Australia at 69 percent. In India, only 19 percent of those polled are in favor of urgent and costly actions against global warming.

"The Philippines is second lowest along with Thailand, with 27 percent saying the problem is pressing enough to warrant immediate and costly measures," the SWS said.

The Philippines, however, leads in the "go-slow, low-cost approach’’ in dealing with global warming, with 49 percent, according to SWS.

Such approach is also the most commonly held opinion in Thailand (41 percent), Poland (39 percent), Ukraine (37 percent) and India (30 percent).

The SWS said Indian respondents, at 24 percent, believe costly actions to deal with global warming should be avoided "until we are sure that it is really a problem.’’ Eighteen percent of Filipinos held the same view, SWS said.

Support for urgent but costly approach is strongest among class ABC and college graduates, SWS said.

As to how much should be spent in dealing with global warming, preference for urgent actions with significant costs is slightly stronger among the upper-to-middle classes ABC (34 percent), compared to class D (28 percent) and class E (19 percent), SWS said.

The SWS said education strengthens the response to global warming, with 35 percent of college graduates endorsing taking urgent actions even if it entails significant costs.

The United Nations-organized Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has reported overwhelming scientific evidence of global warming caused mainly by human activities. — Helen Flores