Humans are pushing the earth to its tipping point: Global survey

A global survey has found that the majority of the people in the world's wealthiest nations think that humans are pushing the planet to a tipping point. A whopping 74% of people wanted to prioritise protecting nature over jobs and profit.

Awareness of the risks was higher in less wealthy nations - Indonesia (86%), Turkey (85%), Brazil (83%), Mexico (78%), and South Africa (76%). The richest nations showed lower awareness - the United States (60%), Japan (63%), Great Britain (65%), and Australia (66%). The global survey was conducted before the northern hemisphere experienced record-breaking heat waves, floods, and fires, reported The Guardian.

Kenyan environmentalist Elizabeth Wathuti, in her foreword to the report, wrote that people are beginning to feel that "nature is hitting back".

The Ipsos Mori survey for the Global Commons Alliance (GCA) also found a majority (58%) to be extremely concerned about the state of the planet. Four in five respondents were willing to step up and do more to regenerate the global commons.

The lead author of the study, Owen Gaffney of the GCA, said that the survey showed strong global support for urgent, decisive action on the climate crisis. He added that the people know that the world is taking colossal risks and want the governments to do more. He added that the findings of the survey should provide G20 leaders with the confidence to move faster to implement ambitious policies to protect the planet.

Elizabeth Wathuti wrote that people in power seem to feel it is okay to fell old trees or destroy natural ecosystems for building roads or dig up oil, as long as they plant new trees. But the findings in the report show that many people no longer support such economic idiocy, reported The Guardian.

69% of the respondents from G20 nations believed that the benefits of action to protect the global commons outweigh the costs. 74% of the people agreed that nations need to move beyond focusing on gross domestic product and profit and focus on the well-being of humans and nature.

However, 56% of respondents in India felt that the need for economic recovery meant that nature was a lower priority, especially in the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic. China was most enthusiastic to tackle the climate crisis with 81% of people agreeing. France was least keen to collaborate with only 50% of respondents agreeing.