London, June 5
Global concern about climate change has risen dramatically over the last six months and consumers increasingly expect their governments to act, according to a survey published on Tuesday. The survey by the Nielsen Company and Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, found 42 per cent of global online consumers believe governments should restrict companies’ emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants.

Crucially, the environmental message is getting through in India and China — two of the world’s largest and fastest-growing polluters — while public anxiety in other large developing economies like Mexico and Brazil is intensifying. An 11-per cent jump in concern about the environment over the last six months left 19 per cent of Indians fretting about global warming, while only 9 per cent of Chinese respondents said the issue was very important, up 7 per cent. — Reuters