The United States leads the world in the percentage of people who think President Obama should not agree to a global pact to address climate change.
New data released over the weekend by global pollster Yougov showed that when asked about the meeting in Paris in December, Americans beat out other countries in agreeing that the U.S. should “not agree to any international agreement that addresses climate change.”
Seventeen percent of U.S. citizens do not want Obama to take any firm action at the United Nations climate conference, where global leaders are expected to hash out an agreement on emission reductions to reduce the threat of climate change.
The poll covered 15 countries and was conducted via the Internet in the last week of May.
Right behind the U.S. in this category were Scandinavian countries Norway, Finland and Sweden — which have been strong proponents of taking action to address greenhouse gas emissions. Norway leads with 10 percent opposing agreement in Paris. Finland and Sweden were at 8 percent.
The United Kingdom trailed for fifth place, with 7 percent of the population opposing reaching a deal in Paris.
One of the countries least opposed to reaching an agreement is China, along with group of other Southeast Asian nations. In China, only 1 percent oppose reaching a deal in Paris.
Despite the high percentage of Americans opposed to a deal in Paris compared with other nations, many more U.S. citizens believe the U.S. should take a leadership position at the meeting.
Forty-four percent believe the U.S. should take a leadership position, while 27 percent believe the nations should agree only to moderate action and gradual emission reductions.
In China, 60 percent want their country to take a leadership position at the conference. Sixty percent “in China favoring a leadership role for the country, versus only 44 percent in the United States and 41 percent in Britain,” according to Yougov.
