69% People In India Seeing Severe Effects Of Climate Change: Survey

New Delhi: Around two-thirds of people in India say climate change has already had a severe effect in the areas where they live and it is likely that their families will be displaced from their homes in the next 25 years, according to a new survey conducted for the World Economic Forum. The survey was conducted among 23,507 people in 34 countries between July 22 and August 5 on Ipsos’s Global Advisor online survey platform. On an average, more than half (56 per cent) of all adults surveyed in the 34 countries said climate change has already had a severe effect in the areas where they live.

Twenty-two countries show a majority reporting that they have already been severely impacted by climate change, including nine countries where it exceeds two-thirds of all those surveyed: Mexico (75 per cent), Hungary (74 per cent), Turkey (74 per cent), Colombia (72 per cent), Spain (71 per cent), Italy (70 per cent), India (69 per cent), Chile (69 per cent) and France (68 per cent).

Also Read: Nearly Every Indicator Of UN Sustainable Development Goals Is Off Track: Goalkeepers Report

More than seven in 10 (71 per cent) expect that climate change will have a severe effect in their areas over the next 10 years. In India, 76 per cent of those surveyed said so.

Concern about being severely impacted by climate change in the next decade is expressed by most people in every country surveyed — from 52 per cent in Malaysia to more than 80 per cent in Portugal, Mexico, Hungary, Turkey, Chile, South Korea, Spain, and Italy.

One-third (35 per cent) expect to be displaced from their homes as a result of climate change in the next 25 years.

This is expressed by almost two-thirds in India (65 per cent) and Turkey (64 per cent) and almost half in Malaysia (49 per cent), Brazil (49 percent), Spain (46 per cent) and South Africa (45 per cent). In contrast, fewer than one in four say so in Sweden (17 per cent), Argentina (21 per cent), the Netherlands (21 per cent) and Poland (23 per cent).

Also Read: Risk Of Climate Tipping Points Escalates At 1.5°C Warming: Study

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In wake of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental wellbeing, self care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.

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