Scientists are the most trusted source of information for climate change in some of the largest global-south countries, ranking above newspapers, friends and social media.
This is according to a survey of 8,400 people across Chile, Colombia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Vietnam, the results of which have been published in Nature Climate Change.
The study finds that trusting and paying attention to climate scientists was associated with increased climate knowledge, roughly twice the effect size associated with a college degree.
One scientist who was not involved in the research says the findings suggest there is an opportunity to “bolster climate knowledge” in the global south by widening access to climate science information.
When asked to rank how important climate change is for their country, participants rated the issue as high, with the average score for each country above 4.4.
However, when asked to rank the importance of climate change compared to other key social issues, respondents – on average – ranked taking action on climate change ninth out of 13, after improving healthcare, decreasing corruption and increasing employment.
Another expert not involved in the study says the results highlight a “crucial tension” between “strong” public concern about climate change and the perception that other social issues should take priority when allocating “scarce” public resources.
Global-south focus
The impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt by the poorest members of society, who often live in the global south.
Nevertheless, Dr Luis Sebastian Contreras Huerta – a researcher in experimental psychology at Chile’s Universidad Adolfo Ibanez – tells Carbon Brief that research on climate attitudes has been “heavily biased” toward the global north.
Voices from the global south are “often invisible in science”, he adds.
Huerta was not involved in the study, but has published research using surveys to assess public beliefs about climate change. He describes the new study – which is evenly distributed across Chile, Colombia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Vietnam – as “a valuable attempt to capture public views across Latin America, Africa and Asia”.
The seven countries featured in the research include six of the 20 largest in the global south and range from “the lower end of low-to-middle-income countries (Nigeria) to the low end of high-income countries (Chile)”, according to the study.
The survey was administered online by polling company YouGov between April and May 2023. Respondents could answer in English or in other “country-specific languages”. For example, respondents in Chile and Colombia had the option to carry out the survey in Spanish, while those in India could answer in Hindi.
Trust and attention
The authors asked survey respondents to rank 12 different sources of information about climate change, based on the attention they pay it and how much they trust it.
The average rankings are shown in the table below, where one indicates the highest level of attention or trust and 12 indicates the lowest.
The table shows that, on average, scientists are ranked the highest for both trust and attention.
The country-specific results show that scientists rank the highest in trust in every country except Vietnam, where they rank second highest after television programmes. Meanwhile, friends and religious leaders rank the lowest for trust.
Huerta says it is “encouraging” that the general public “tend to trust scientists as their main source of information”.
However, he warns Carbon Brief about “social desirability” – a phenomenon in which people respond to surveys in a way that they think will be viewed favourably by others. In this case, it means that “people may report higher trust in scientists and less reliance on social media than they actually practice”, Huerta explains.
Dr Charles Ogunbode is an assistant professor in applied psychology at the University of Nottingham. He is not involved in the paper, but has carried out research on public perceptions of climate change.
He tells Carbon Brief that the relatively low attention and trust shown to family and friends is a “remarkable finding that stands in contrast with conventional knowledge”. He continues:
“Previous psychological research on this topic (generally predominated by western samples) would support an expectation that people would have greater trust in interpersonal social referrents like friends and family…
“I think the findings from the study signal an opportunity to bolster climate knowledge in the global south by widening access to scientific information on climate change.”
Climate knowledge
The survey also assesses the level of climate knowledge of the respondents, by asking them to identify whether a series of statements are true, false, or if they are “not sure”.
More than 80% of respondents correctly identified that the following two statements are correct:
- Climate change is mainly caused by human activities.
- Warming leads to more extreme events, such as droughts, floods and storms.
Conversely, fewer than 20% of people correctly identified the following two statements as false:
- Nuclear power plants emit CO2 during operations.
- Today’s global CO2 concentration has occurred in the past 650,000 years.
Knowledge about climate change was “quite similar” across countries, according to the survey. However, the authors found that women are more likely to respond “not sure” than men.
The study finds that trusting and paying attention to climate scientists was associated with increased climate knowledge, roughly twice the effect size associated with a college degree.
Policy comparison
Early in the survey, respondents were asked to rank how important climate change is for their country on a scale from one to five. On average, all countries ranked climate change above 4.4 on this scale.
However, the survey later asked respondents to rank the 13 government programmes, including climate, healthcare and education, in order of importance.
The authors found that “addressing climate change” ranks at ninth, on average, across the seven countries.
Climate change ranks the highest in Vietnam, where it comes in second behind “decreasing political corruption”.
However, it ranks 10th in Nigeria and South Africa, beating only “improving public transport”, “improving access to credit” and “getting Covid-19 under control”.
Lead author Prof Richard Carson, a professor of economics at the University of California, tells Carbon Brief that asking respondents to rank different issues “provides a much richer picture of the structure of public opinion on climate issues” than asking them to rank issues separately. This, he says, is because it forces respondents to make “direct tradeoffs”.
The survey shows that “people might say that dealing with climate change matters – but this does not mean that they would place it on the leaderboard when it comes to priorities”, he adds.
Huerta – the experimental psychology researcher – tells Carbon Brief that results highlight “a crucial tension”. He explains:
“Athough people show strong concern for climate change, when it comes to allocating scarce public resources, priorities such as health, education, poverty reduction, and security often come first.”
He adds:
“People may genuinely care, but without clear, immediate benefits, climate action is often deprioritised – unlike issues such as air pollution, where the consequences and gains are more tangible.”
The authors also asked survey respondents to rank seven “health-related issues”, with respiratory problems consistently identified as the highest priority.
Huerta says the results show a “disconnection”, adding:
“People rank respiratory illness as a top health concern, but they do not always connect it with climate change more broadly. This highlights a key communication challenge for climate policy.”
Finally, the authors asked respondents to rank their preference for the use of a carbon tax. In keeping with the results above, “spend on education and health” ranks top of the list. This is followed by subsidising solar panels and investing in “clean research and development”.
Dr Stella Nyambura Mbau is a lecturer at Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and was not involved in the study. She tells Carbon Brief that “the preference for earmarking carbon tax revenue for health, education and renewable energy subsidies aligns with community-based adaptation strategies, such as solar-powered solutions, that address immediate needs while building resilience”.
She suggests that prioritising policies that can tackle climate change alongside other social issues could “bridge the gap between climate action and local priorities”.
Next steps
The authors note that their survey could only be completed by people with access to the internet, meaning that it “systematically underrepresents those with lower income, living in rural areas and who are older”.
Only people over the age of 18 were allowed to complete the survey. Across the countries, the median age of respondents was 31 years old. There was also a slight skew towards men, who made up 55% of the respondents.
As such, some external experts pointed out that results could be skewed.
For example, Prof Tarun Khanna, a professor at Harvard Business School, notes that when ranking uses for carbon taxes, there was low support for policies such as returning money to the poor. He questions whether this could be “because the survey concentrates on a relatively affluent class of people”.
Dr Nick Simpson is chief research officer at the University of Cape Town‘s African Climate and Development Initiative Climate Risk Lab and has led separate research on general public perceptions of climate change in Africa.
He praises the study’s “large, cross-national dataset” and “rigorous statistical techniques”. However, he adds:
“The survey questions focus primarily on mitigation [greenhouse gas emissions prevention and reduction] responsibilities, reflecting a global north bias in climate surveys. [The questions] do not fully capture urgent adaptation concerns or the lived realities of climate vulnerability in low and middle-income countries.”
Future research should incorporate more “adaptation-specific questions” in order to “provide a more holistic understanding of climate action priorities”, he says.
The post Scientists are ‘most trusted’ source of climate information in global-south survey appeared first on Carbon Brief.
Scientists are ‘most trusted’ source of climate information in global-south survey
By John Kerry, Visiting Statesman at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former US Secretary of State, and former Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
Many eyes in the climate community are focused on COP30 in Belem this November, but there’s another critical climate moment happening now in September: London International Shipping Week.
This can be a moment to put industry’s muscle behind the decisions that need to be made to reap the benefits and accelerate the opportunity presented by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) April embrace of the Net-Zero Framework, which is to be formally adopted by governments next month.
The maritime community understands the significance of this agreement, the very first to align action with the IMO’s 2023 climate strategy words: combining a mandatory greenhouse gas fuel standard with a pricing mechanism that can reward first movers, and stimulate a rapid, worldwide transition that’s just and equitable.
First, though, that Framework must be adopted, and I encourage all Member States to support its passage at October’s extraordinary session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee. This deal agreed in April is the result of long and complex negotiations and a victory for multilateral cooperation.
A cornerstone to this approach is ensuring that all greenhouse gas emissions – not just CO2 – are addressed as soon as the protections enter into force in 2027. Similarly, emissions will be regulated on a well-to-wake basis.
While some details remain open for further negotiation, the shipping sector must now plan for a clean energy market – with opportunities for asset managers and fleet owners to reap the advantages of being first movers.
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The details of the Framework shouldn’t cut corners or dodge emissions commitments with teeth; fuel production should be backed by a robust sustainability criterion that accounts for elements of production such as indirect land uses changes.
These standards will help ensure the market accelerates and rewards solutions which are truly sustainable, scalable, and capable of delivering deep greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Current evidence suggests the e-fuels, or fuels made from renewable energy and green hydrogen, meet these criteria best. Use of these fuels must also be properly rewarded within the IMO’s Framework and supported by further national and private actions.
Some shipowners are already accelerating their turn towards this growing market and should continue to do so. In 2024 supply of alternative fuels such as ammonia or e-methanol was projected to be 50% higher than it was just in 2023. Their example is an important one for others who may believe that short-term fixes are a path of least resistance. Economic opportunity awaits those who act now to race to the other side of the shipping transition.
Customers are clearly ready and waiting for additional shipowners to make the jump. In February the second tender from the Zero Emission Buyer’s Alliance was launched, with 40 member companies looking to ship 1.5 million containers’ worth of goods on e-fuels. These commitments are commendable. More companies must join, and more investment is needed for this effort to succeed.
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Beyond opportunity, it’s important to also consider risk. Reinvesting in the old way of doing things or patchwork short term solutions such as liquified natural gas could translate into stranded assets for these companies in short order.
Beyond fuels, to meet the full goals of the Revised Strategy energy efficiency solutions or technological innovations such as wind-assisted propulsion power should be deployed at greater scale. Many remain relatively underutilized.
Shippers can reverse this trend, not just for the immediate fuel savings, but for the degree of resilience these technical measures offer in the face of strengthening climate regulations. More tools exist today to help shipowners navigate these decisions, and the financial sector can offer more creative products to accelerate the transition.
At COP 26, as Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, I stood with CEOs from the world’s largest companies and we launched the First Mover’s Coalition to demonstrate a simple proposition: a gigantic industry-led demand signal for the climate solutions hard-to-abate sectors were longing to create.
In a short time, global shipping has risen to the challenge and developed many of the tools envisioned in that initiative. We now have enabling frameworks backing up the growing market for solutions that everyone at London International Shipping Week can embrace.
We are on the cusp of something exciting – proof that “if you build it, better solutions will come.” It’s an historic moment to stop waiting for perfection, get to work, and decide that we’re all first movers now – for our economy, and our future.
The post Diplomacy accelerated shipping climate action; it’s time to seal the deal appeared first on Climate Home News.
Diplomacy accelerated shipping climate action; it’s time to seal the deal
This July, we marked a milestone, Climate Generation’s 20th annual Summer Institute! For two decades, this cornerstone event of the Teach Climate Network (TCN) has brought educators together to share teaching tips, instructional resources, and build community.
Each year, the TCN Cohort Coalition and participants of the Summer Institute help shape the TCN offerings by identifying what teachers need most. In 2025, needs are changing quickly. With the Trump Administration back in the White House, shifts at the Department of Education, and a steady stream of discouraging climate headlines, uncertainty is high. But one thing remains steady: educators’ commitment to their students and to teaching climate change with honesty and hope.
That’s why this year we are taking a fresh approach to reground in how we center the realities educators face and help them build resilience in the classroom and beyond. Here are five key lessons we’re carrying forward from the Summer Institute into another year TCN programming:
- Strengthen relationships, especially local ones
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that we thrive on connection. Over 80% of Institute attendees said they loved building local connections and wanted to stay connected with their cohort leaders.
Why does this matter? Because climate change isn’t a faraway problem and it shows up differently in every community. What flooding looks like in Vermont isn’t the same as wildfire smoke in California or heat waves in Phoenix. When educators build local connections, they’re better equipped to ground climate lessons in the realities their students see and feel around them. These place-based connections help make climate change less abstract and more personally relevant, sparking deeper student engagement.
Local networks also act as support systems for educators themselves. Teaching climate change can feel isolating or even politically charged. But when teachers connect with others in their district, county, or region, they gain confidence, share strategies, and learn how to navigate challenges together. These relationships don’t just strengthen individual classrooms, they strengthen entire communities.
As one Summer Institute participant put it:
“Being part of a group with shared interests was refreshing. Despite being in different regions, we faced many of the same challenges. It helped me see the power of collective learning and the importance of localized solutions within a global issue.”
Climate Generation will keep nurturing these connections throughout the year, because when educators feel supported by one another, they’re more empowered to bring climate education to their students in impactful ways.
- Pair accurate information with actionable tools
In a time when reliable climate information can disappear from websites overnight, educators need trusted sources they can count on. But here’s the thing: resources alone are not enough. Teachers also need support and time to translate information into age-appropriate, standards-aligned lessons that resonate with their students. When educators have both reliable information and support for embedding it into their classrooms, they can shift from simply delivering content to equipping students with tools for understanding, critical thinking, and meaningful action. That’s why the Teach Climate Network provides practical examples, activities and curriculum, ready-to-use strategies offered in 1:1 coaching, and workshop time.
The Teach Climate Network remains a go-to hub for both accurate content and instructional strategies. And we’ll continue sharing resources, lesson guides, and professional development opportunities from our partners because we know building from what already exists is how we can best move forward together.
- Use multiple entry points to make climate approachable
Yes, science matters. But teaching climate change isn’t only about graphs and greenhouse gases. It’s also about art, storytelling, history, civic engagement, and student empowerment. By weaving climate topics into subjects students love and are already learning, educators can make learning both accessible and inspiring.
Why does this matter? Because not every teacher or student connects with climate change through the same lens. For some, data spark curiosity. For others, exploring climate themes through a novel, a piece of art, or a local history project creates the “aha” moment. Having multiple entry points makes it easier for educators to integrate climate content into their existing curriculum without feeling like it’s one more thing to teach. It also helps students connect climate issues to their personal interests, which deepens learning, strengthens retention, and encourages students to imagine how climate can be woven into their anything they do. When climate education is relevant to a student’s life, they’re more likely to remember it and more likely to act on it.
As one Summer Institute attendee shared:
“I came in focused mainly on the science, but I now see the value of a broader, more inclusive approach — one that connects climate issues to equity, local communities, and student empowerment. This experience reshaped how I think about teaching climate change.”
This year, the TCN will highlight teaching pathways that span disciplines, science, english language arts, social studies, health, and more, so educators can find entry points that feel engaging and tailored to their classrooms. By broadening how we approach climate change, we give teachers the tools to feel confident and students the opportunity to connect meaningfully with the most important issue of our time.
- Recognize that every classroom is different, and that means every teacher’s needs are different
Teaching climate change in the U.S. is a patchwork. Some districts fully embrace it, others barely mention it. While 44 states, representing 71% of U.S. students, have science standards that include climate change, the how it’s taught varies widely. In some places, climate shows up as a single unit in science; in others, it’s integrated across disciplines; and in many classrooms, it’s still left out entirely.
Because of this, teachers’ needs differ dramatically. Some are searching for ready-to-use lesson plans that fit into a tightly scripted curriculum. Others are looking for strategies to navigate political pushback in their communities. Still others want to connect climate content with student well-being, resilience, or social justice. In short, the way climate change is taught shapes what support teachers need most.That’s why Climate Generation remains committed to being needs-based in our work. We’ll keep a pulse on what’s happening in classrooms by staying connected with Teach Climate Network members throughout the year. That way, our resources and professional development remain grounded in the real challenges and opportunities that educators face every day.
- Offer flexible ways to engage
Let’s be real; life happens. This year, 20% of registrants couldn’t attend the Institute after signing up. Schedule changes, strikes, job loss, burnout; sometimes it’s just too much. We get it.
That’s exactly why flexibility matters. Teaching climate change isn’t just another item on an already packed to-do list, it’s something educators want to do well, but it can feel overwhelming without the right kind of support. Some teachers are just starting their journey and need quick, approachable entry points. Others are ready to dive deep into interdisciplinary curriculum or community projects. And many fall somewhere in between.
Providing multiple pathways helps ensure that every educator, no matter their time, experience level, or teaching context, can find a way to build confidence and capacity. Short online workshops give teachers fast tools they can use tomorrow. Recordings allow busy educators to catch up on their own time. Longer-term fellowships provide a space to collaborate, reflect, and grow as leaders in climate education. Together, these options make climate professional development more accessible, equitable, and impactful.
We’ll continue offering a range of opportunities in different formats so educators can plug in however it works best for them.
Find the schedule of events and recordings of past workshops on our website.
Moving Forward Together
Even if it feels like climate change is being pushed to the back burner nationally, it remains the most pressing issue of our time. As educators, we have the opportunity to empower the next generation not only to understand the challenges ahead, but to lead with creativity, courage, and care. If you aren’t a Teach Climate Network member yet, we encourage you to join!
Lindsey Kirkland supports on-going climate change education programs for K-12 educators and public audiences. As the Education Manager, she also develops a vision for and provides strategic coordination for programs focusing primarily on professional development for teachers and informal educators. Lindsey is adjunct faculty at Hamline University and supported the development of their Climate Literacy Certificate, a contributing author of NSTA’s Connect Science Learning journal, and an active member of Climate Literacy and the Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) and the North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) Guidelines for Excellence writing team. Lindsey has served as an environmental educator with the AmeriCorps program the NJ Watershed Ambassadors, worked as a naturalist and education program coordinator for the NJ Audubon Society, and assisted in program development for museums, universities, and new nonprofit organizations in the United States and Australia. Lindsey holds a BS in Environment, Conservation and Fisheries Sciences from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA and a MEd in Science Education from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. In her spare time, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her husband and her son.
The post What Educators Need This Year, and How We’re Showing Up appeared first on Climate Generation.
Solar power is already providing the “cheapest electricity in history” and is expected to play a pivotal role in the global transition away from fossil fuels.
The technology accounted for two-thirds of the world’s new electricity capacity and two-fifths of new generation in 2024, according to the thinktank Ember.
Yet, this rapid expansion has triggered a backlash, with numerous campaigns springing up to oppose new solar projects from the UK to Australia.
These groups frequently draw on misinformation, spread by right-leaning media outlets, anti-renewable energy groups and predominantly right-wing political parties.
Increasingly, these narratives are having real-world consequences, with governments restricting or even banning the installation of solar panels across swathes of land.
Here, Carbon Brief factchecks 16 of the most common myths about solar power.
The post Factcheck: 16 misleading myths about solar power appeared first on Carbon Brief.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-16-misleading-myths-about-solar-power/
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