Many parts of the world have been hit by extreme weather recently, with record high temperatures and raging floods, droughts, and debris flows bringing casualties and property damage to some areas. According to an online survey released by CGTN, more than 70 percent of the respondents believe that climate change is an urgent issue and that sustainable development is the fundamental way to solve the problem of climate change. 

In the survey, over 60 percent (63.6 percent) of global respondents experienced extreme weather in the past five years. Some 66.1 percent of the respondents were deeply concerned about the tremendous destructive of extreme weather. 

Nearly eight out of ten (78.6 percent) global respondents believe that global climate change is a major contributor to the increasing frequency of extreme weather and meteorological disasters. Experts agree with this. One commenter said that "In my childhood summer was 25 centigrade, and decades later the temperature was as high as 38 or even 40 centigrade. This is not a natural, progressive phenomenon." 

When it comes to the way to deal with it, the respondents generally believe that climate change is a global challenge that no country can stay out of it. Almost 80 percent (79.5 percent) of the respondents strongly urged all countries to cooperate and work together to tackle climate change and meteorological disaster. One user noted that "The climate issue should not be isolated by some countries. All countries should get involved and work together to solve this problem."

A new report released by the World Meteorological Organization predicts that global temperatures could soar to record highs within the next five years. Besides, there are more frequent meteorological disasters, such as forest fires, droughts, hurricanes, and floods, which have a significant negative impact on the world's food, energy, and ecological security. 

About 71 percent of survey respondents believe that climate change is a problem caused by the process of human development. Following a sustainable development path is the best way to solve the problem. Meanwhile, another 78 percent believe that addressing climate change is not only an inherent requirement for economic development, but also an international responsibility of responsible powers, and expect them to play a more significant part. 

The survey was published on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Russian platforms, with over 26,894 users voting in 24 hours.