Climate change is ranked alongside terrorism as one of the world's greatest threats, according to an international survey by a U.S. think tank. The Pew Research Center said Thursday that there is an increasing numbers of people who are concerned about global warming. A Pew survey of nearly 42,000 people in 38 countries showed the percentage of respondents who believe climate change is a major threat has risen to 61% from 54% in a similar survey held in 2013. People in 13 countries, mainly in Latin America and Africa, identified climate change as the top threat to their country. A total of 62% of respondents ranked terrorism, particularly the Islamic State group, as the top threat, with people in 18 countries ranking the ultra-radical militant group as the main danger. "People around the world are generally concerned about climate change," Jacob Poushter, a senior researcher and co-author of the report, said. "They worry about it personally, about the toll on their own personal lives, and they're also concerned about it generally for their own countries." Cyberattacks, the global economy and refugees from Iraq and Syria were also ranked in the top five global threats. The survey found Latin Americans most concerned about climate change, with 74% of respondents in seven countries seeing climate change as a major threat to them. Climate change was also ranked as a key concern in Africa where an average of 58% of respondents saw it as a major threat. "One possibility, based on the countries that seem more concerned about climate change, is that those which are less economically developed and don't have capabilities to combat central changes in the climate might be more concerned about climate change," Poushter said. Other countries were less concerned about climate change, with Russia and Israel at the bottom of the list with 35% and 38% of respondents respectively seeing climate change as a major threat.
Every country involved in the survey initially agreed to the Paris climate goals announced in 2015 to limit global warning although U.S. President Donald Trump has since decided to pull out of the pact.
'Climate change, alongside terrorism, seen as major global threat'
An increasing number of people are concerned about global warming, Pew Research Center finds • Terrorism, cyberattacks, the global economy and refugees from Iraq and Syria are also ranked as the top five threats the world faces.
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