CGTN Poll: 91.4% of respondents appreciate China's contribution to addressing climate change

In a time of growing climate concern, global eyes are on Dubai. Today marks the opening of the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. A recent global online poll conducted by CGTN showed that 90.3 percent of the respondents believe that no country can stand aloof from the climate problem and that multilateralism is the fundamental way to solve the climate change problem. In addition, 91.4 percent of the respondents said they appreciate China's contribution to promoting global climate governance.

In the survey, 83.0 percent of global respondents said they believe excessive carbon emissions exacerbated global climate change and that only a high-quality, sustainable development path can help people escape the climate change dilemma. A total of 81.8 percent of respondents called on countries to accelerate green and low-carbon transformational development, reduce carbon emissions and push to attain global climate goals.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) states that the largest historical and current global greenhouse gas emissions originate in developed countries and establishes the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities" between developed and developing countries. As many as 88.5 percent of the respondents agree that developed countries should bear greater historical responsibility for the man-made climate change crisis. Also, 80.1 percent of respondents said they were disappointed that developed countries have delayed or slowed down their climate assistance to developing countries.

A total of 89.9 percent of the respondents called on developed countries to take their emissions reduction seriously and effectively provide climate adaptation funds and compensation to developing countries for loss and damage. Meanwhile, 82.9 percent of respondents say they expect the big countries to show courage and responsibility in addressing climate change.

China has been actively participating in global climate governance. China now has nearly half of the world's installed photovoltaic capacity. Over half of the world's new energy vehicles are in China, and China contributes one-fourth of the increased area of afforestation in the world. In the survey, 91.4 percent of the respondents said they appreciate China's contribution to promoting global climate governance. As a netizen commented, "The Chinese government's efforts to improve climate change are great."

The survey was released on CGTN's English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian platforms, with 10,512 netizens voting and expressing their opinions within 24 hours.

(Cover: People are silhouetted against the COP28 logo at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 29, 2023. /CFP)