Majority of Britons believe climate-change could end human race - poll
LONDON (Reuters) - A majority of Britons believe that climate-change could end the human race, a poll showed on Wednesday after days of high-profile protests by activists thrust global warming onto the political agenda.
Extinction Rebellion disrupted London with 11 days of protests that it cast as the biggest act of civil disobedience in recent British history.
The group set up camps which blocked off major roads in the capital, disrupted transport and targeted major institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Shell.
Following the protests, 54 percent of adults agreed that climate-change threatens our extinction as a species, a poll by Comres found, compared to just a quarter who disagreed.
However, only 22 percent of the 2,037 people surveyed said they supported the aims and tactics of Extinction Rebellion, with 32 percent in disagreement.
“While most of the public are agreed on the problem and its cause, the poll finds the public less enthusiastic about how Extinction Rebellion is bringing its message to the country,” ComRes Chairman Andrew Hawkins said.
“Its aims and tactics are far more likely to appeal to people under 25, so it is little surprise that the Group’s warning message of human extinction has less resonance with older age groups.”
Extinction Rebellion wants non-violent civil disobedience to force governments to cut carbon emissions and avert a climate crisis it says will bring starvation and social collapse.
The group has demanded the government declare a climate emergency and to allocate resources to tackling the issue.
A majority of those surveyed said that they would forego at least one overseas trip a year for the sake of the climate, while fewer people agreed that they would be more willing to protest about higher fuel prices than climate-change.
ComRes conducted the survey between April 26-28.
Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Guy Faulconbridge
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