Amid The Confusion, A Growing Carbon Consensus

Interpreting public attitudes on climate change is a confusing business these days - apparent contradictions abound, and the contrast between what people appear to believe, and how they behave, is often stark.

Polls like The Guardian's latest illustrate this well. The prevailing attitude of the UK public might be summed up as: yes, climate change is a major threat, yes, I should be doing more about it than I am, but whatever I do it probably won't make any difference - and anyway I'm not prepared to contemplate anything that will cause me financial pain. It's hardly surprising if policymakers seem paralysed by the political consequences of taking major steps to address the problem.

But look a little harder, and a consensus does start to emerge. Our latest global polling on the issue is evidence of this. We interviewed a sample of 1,000 adults in each of 19 countries how they felt about government actions to address climate change, including investment in renewables. Would they be good for the economy, or hurt the economy? Nearly two thirds (62%) felt they would be good for the economy. But what if that isn't the case - what if the economy suffers as a result of a government push to address climate change? Another clear response - three in five (60%) say governments should do it anyway. Of course, the devil is still in the detail. What if the economic damage translates into major cuts in public services, or tax hikes for large swathes of the population as well as much higher energy costs? The public may not have fully come to terms with that.

But even so, the figures are striking. Look at the USA and China - over half (52%) of Americans say they support measures to address climate change that would hurt the economy, and in China, nearly nine in ten (89%) feel that way. There may be a long way to go politically, but surely this amounts to a mandate for boldness from the leaders of the planet's current and future CO2-emitters in chief.