Majority of people support climate action – but believe others do not, and other nature and climate news

1. The climate action perception gap revealed

There is a significant climate action perception gap.

That's the key finding of a study of nearly 130,000 individuals across 125 countries, published in Nature, which revealed that 89% of people around the world want more to be done to protect the climate, but mistakenly assume that other people don't support this action.

The study highlighted that 69% of the global population expresses a willingness to contribute 1% of their personal income, 86% endorse pro-climate social norms and 89% demand intensified political action for the climate.

Despite these figures, participants believed that only 43% of their peers would be willing to contribute 1% of their personal income to tackle the climate crisis, revealing a global perception gap of 26 percentage points.

Chinese citizens were among the most concerned of all of the participants, according to The Guardian, with 97% saying that their government should do more to fight the climate crisis and four out of five were willing to give 1% of their income to help the cause.

People from wealthier nations were less likely to express a willingness to contribute 1% of their income, at 62% of citizens from the wealthiest nations compared to 78% from the poorest nations surveyed.

People most willing to contribute their own income to save the climate were from poorer, hotter and more climate-vulnerable countries.Image: Nature
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2. Asia's megacities are struggling with rising temperatures

The climate crisis is pushing many of Asia’s cities to their limits, according to a report from the UN’s regional development arm, ESCAP.

Last year, record temperatures put a strain on infrastructure and healthcare systems across many of Asia's largest cities.

Between 2000 and 2019, nearly half of all global heat-related deaths occurred in Asia and the Pacific, and climate change is only growing these risks.

The world's largest cities are facing significant heat stress.Image: ESCAP

The 'urban heat island effect' is worsening these conditions, especially for the elderly and the lowest earners in crowded informal settlements.

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Alongside issues like rising temperatures, cities are also contending with ageing populations and expanding informal settlements, the report states.

To combat this plethora of challenges, the reports calls for integrated urban planning, stronger local data systems and diversified financing – so cities can build resilience and promote sustainable growth.

3. News in brief: Other top nature and climate stories this week

Europe experienced its most widespread floods in more than a decade in 2024, scientists from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization said in a joint report on Europe's climate.

Europe experienced its most widespread floods in more than a decade in 2024.Image: CEMS/C3S/ECMWF

The US administration is set to impose tariffs of up to 3,521% on imports of solar panels from four south-east Asian countries, The Guardian reports. These tariffs will apply to solar panels coming from Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Viet Nam.

A $3 billion climate-friendly farming programme has been cancelled by the US Department of Agriculture after a review found it did not align with the priorities of the US government administration, Reuters reports.

European Commission sustainability laws have seen some updates:
Climate and human rights campaigners have filed a complaint against the European Commission, accusing the regulatory body of failing to consult the public about these changes or assess their potential impact first, Reuters reports.
From December, companies will need less paperwork to comply with the EU's anti-deforestation law, according to Reuters. Instead of submitting a due diligence statement for every shipment, they will only have to do this annually now.

A project to suck carbon out of the sea has begun in the UK. Known as SeaCURE, this pilot scheme is funded by the government to try to capture carbon emissions from our oceans. Watch the full video below.

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The climate crisis is fuelling gender-based violence, according to a new report from Spotlight Initiative. The report estimates that before the end of the century, 1 in 10 cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) will be linked to climate change.

4. More on the nature and climate crisis from the Forum

Earth Day 2025 was observed on 22 April. This year's theme was 'Our Power, Our Planet' – calling for people across the globe to unite behind renewable energy, and to triple the global generation of clean electricity by 2030. Achieving this goal is seen by experts as crucial to limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C. Learn more about the history behind Earth Day and its impact in this explainer.

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