57% public in UK worried about global warming

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EALY: A new survey of 2000 UK residents has been carried out by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and ICM Unlimited has found that 57% of the public are worried about global warming, with 14% saying they were very worried. The poll also found that 64% of people think global warming is already a problem, while 70% said they think global warming will be a problem in 20 years time. The main issues the respondents said they were worried about were flooding and sea level rises, extreme weather and droughts and water shortages.
Jenifer Baxter, Head of Energy and Environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said of the results, “since the 2008 economic crash, climate change has drifted down the political agenda. But these results show that it is an issue that still worries the majority of people. As we’ve seen in recent years, the UK is particularly susceptible to flooding and sea level rises, and this is something we are likely to see more of unless urgent action is taken to prevent and adapt to climate change.
“With the UN climate change talks in Paris just four months away and speculation mounting over cuts to public spending, government needs to clarify how the UK will meet its ambitious carbon reduction targets. The cheapest options for energy generally remain the high carbon options. It’s therefore an unfortunate reality that reducing spending will mean increasing emissions.
“By allowing the market to drive energy options, we could end up with the worst case in terms of pollution. It is important that the government works with experts across the sector to understand the most appropriate market intervention and regulation to achieve real reductions in CO2. Government needs to detail how it will step up efforts to wind down coal fired generation, which produces much more CO2 than gas or nuclear power plants, and support research and development into the new generation of renewable energy technologies.”