Governments, business seen too slow to save climate: poll

The survey of about 24,000 people in 23 countries, conducted in the lead up to, during and following the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December last year, found 65 percent of respondents were not happy with the progress and actions to date to conserve the environment.

Only 35 percent said their government and business leaders were doing the right thing -- and only three countries would get passing grades on their environmental credentials from their citizens.

These were China which received 86 percent support from its people, India with 60 percent support, and Turkey with 54 percent.

"It's clear that global citizens are underwhelmed by the leadership shown by their own government and business leaders in tackling what they perceive to be a serious threat to the world and themselves," said John Wright, senior vice president of public affairs from market research company Ipsos.

"The outcome of the recent climate conference in Copenhagen simply goes to reinforce any existing view that much of the backbone and courage that's needed on this issue is missing in action."

More than 20 countries, including China and the United States, agreed to a non-binding Copenhagen Accord at the chaotic 190-nation U.N. climate summit without any commitment to numbers and with the absence of the EU.

Officials acknowledge privately that the mandatory system for enforcing emissions curbs created by the 1997 Kyoto protocol is doomed because China, the world's biggest emitter of man-made greenhouse gases, won't accept any constraints on its future economic growth and the United States won't join any agreement that is not binding on Beijing.

The United States, the world's second-largest emitter, has not formed a national plan to cut emissions as climate legislation has stalled in the Senate. Major developing countries want Washington to act first before agreeing to binding action.

The following results table from the Reuters/Ipsos poll begins with the countries where citizens are least likely to agree "that their government and business leaders are taking the right steps and pace to prevent global climate change":

Agree Disagree

Argentina 16 percent 84 percent

Mexico 17 percent 83 percent

France 19 percent 81 percent

Belgium 20 percent 80 percent

Hungary 23 percent 77 percent

Germany 24 percent 76 percent

Poland 24 percent 76 percent

Italy 26 percent 74 percent

Czech Republic 26 percent 74 percent

Netherlands 26 percent 74 percent

Sweden 29 percent 71 percent

Britain 33 percent 67 percent

Canada 34 percent 66 percent

Russia 35 percent 65 percent

Spain 35 percent 65 percent

United States 38 percent 62 percent

Brazil 43 percent 57 percent

South Korea 43 percent 57 percent

Japan 45 percent 55 percent

Australia 48 percent 52 percent

Turkey 54 percent 46 percent

India 60 percent 40 percent

China 86 percent 14 percent

About 1,000 individuals participated on a country by country basis via an Ipsos (http:/www.ipsos.com) online panel with weighting employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflected that of the adult population according to the most recent country census data.

Other Reuters/Ipsos polls can be found at http:/www.ipsos-na.com/news/reuters/.

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy)