Climate change tops Americans’ concerns for future generations

SWNS

The majority of Americans are worried about how younger generations will be impacted by climate change and are actively seeking ways to help, according to a new study. The survey of 2,000 American car owners uncovered that 52% are worried about climate change when thinking about the future for younger generations. Going further, more than a third (36%) cite it as their No. 1 concern for future generations, even more than the economy as a top concern (25%) or evolving social norms (13%) and global instability (11%). Commissioned by electric vehicle maker, Rivian, and conducted by Talker Research, the research revealed that most people (63%) believe the purchases they make will have an impact on future generations’ quality of life, either financially, environmentally or both.

Latest stories

  • From shopping to travel, here’s how Americans are planning for the holidays

    It’s official, the top three markers that the holiday season is in full swing include hearing festive music on the radio (20%), seeing or hearing the first holiday ad (13%) and when it’s dark before 5 p.m. (11%). Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Motel 6, a survey of 2,000 U.S. adults who celebrate the winter holidays revealed that almost one-third (31%) are commencing the season early and 67% started celebrating in one way or another as early as September. Many Americans have already purchased (61%) and planned (55%) their gifts, as well as purchased decor (46%) or watched holiday movies (43%). While 46% are embracing the holiday season earlier to get better deals, 45% simply want this to be the best holiday season yet.

  • What does today’s ‘village’ to raise a child look like?

    Today’s parents are reinventing what it means to rely on their “village” when it comes to raising a child, new research finds. According to a survey of 2,000 parents of children ages 0-6 conducted by Talker Research on behalf of The Goddard School, 78% agree that the definition of a village— or their community and support system— is different today than when they were growing up. In fact, another 86% of parents say they have a different type of support system today than their own parents did. Growing up, respondents recall spending the most time with grandmothers (60%), grandfathers (41%), aunts (51%) and uncles (41%) as well as their parents’ best friend (38%). In total, they can remember an average of eight different people being regularly involved in their lives as children, and a majority (86%) are still in some contact with their childhood village. But today, parents rely on an average of seven different people, and fewer of them are relatives.

  • Planet-heating pollution to hit all-time high, dashing hopes it would start to drop in 2024

    Despite the urgent need to cut fossil fuel pollution to tackle the human-caused climate crisis, there is “no sign” of a global peak, a new report finds.

  • Argentina walks away from COP29 - amid fears Trump may pull US out of Paris climate deal

    Argentinian negotiators have been summoned home from global climate talks in Azerbaijan by the President Javier Milei's government. The team were ordered to pack up and leave on Wednesday, just three days into the two-week COP29 summit in Azerbaijan. No reason was given, but the Argentinian president - a right-wing populist who has previously dubbed the climate crisis a "socialist lie" - had communicated with US president-elect Donald Trump the day before, according to his spokesperson.

  • Rich care more about climate change than poorer households

    Wealthy households are more likely than the working class to care about the environment, a survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found.

  • Pension ‘megafunds’ to be created to boost investment

    Pension “megafunds” are set to be created to help unlock billions of pounds of investment in businesses and infrastructure. Rachel Reeves will use her first Mansion House speech as Chancellor to outline the pensions shake-up. Under the plans, the reforms will be introduced through a new Pension Schemes Bill next year, consolidating defined contribution schemes and pooling assets from 86 local government pension scheme authorities. The Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales will manage assets worth around £500 billion by 2030.

  • Climate experts warn 'time running out' as CO2 emissions yet to peak

    Global carbon dioxide emissions reached another record high in 2024. Researchers say there is ‘no sign’ the world has reached a peak.

  • Damaging jet vapour trails could be eliminated with cheap solution – experts

    Researchers say the white lines in the sky created by planes can double the amount of warming caused by aviation’s carbon emissions.

  • Consumers will pay for Starmer’s green targets

    It’s easy to be cynical about a climate conference that sees plutocrats flying their private jets to a petrostate claiming they’re going to save the world. That’s certainly the position of Greta Thunberg, who has dismissed COP29 as an exercise in greenwashing Azerbaijan’s human rights violations, a view shared – in City AM recently –

  • Starmer pledges 81% emissions cut but won’t ‘tell people how to run their lives’

    The Prime Minister has announced the UK’s target for cutting greenhouse gases at the Cop29 talks in Azerbaijan.

  • ‘Climate change kills’: Spain faces new flood threat as leaders highlight extreme weather at COP29

    Spain faced new extreme weather alerts this week just a fortnight after flooding devastated Valencia.View on euronews

  • $1 trillion per year needed for poor countries as COP29 spats continue

    STORY: If poorer states are to move to greener energy and protect against extreme weather, at least $1 trillion per year will be needed by the end of the decade.That's the warning to negotiators at COP29 on Thursday (November 14) as money becomes a central focus of the climate talks being held in Azerbaijan.But negotiations at the U.N. climate conference risk being overshadowed by political spats.France's climate minister has canceled her trip to the summit, after Azerbaijan's President accused France of "crimes" in its overseas territories in the Caribbean.Meanwhile Argentina's government has also withdrawn its negotiators from talks, according to two diplomats at the event, although neither knew the reason why.Argentina's President, Javier Milei, has previously called global warming a hoax.Negotiators have been left fielding questions on the diplomatic issues."I would like to propose that we stick to today's thematic theme, which is finance."Negotiators are trying to reach a deal on how much richer countries, development lenders and the private sector must provide each year.A previous goal of $100 billion per year was met late in 2022, and in the form of loans rather than grants, something recipient countries say needs to change.A report from the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance said the annual target figure would need to rise to $1.3 trillion a year by 2035, or more, if countries drag their feet now. "I'm kind of seeing some glum faces there should be some energy in this, in this room. And if we're to drive that, those finance flows it needs energy from for many of you here."Any deal is likely to be hard fought given a reluctance among many Western governments, bound by the Paris Agreement in 2015 to give more unless countries including China agree to join them.The United States' likely withdrawal from any future funding deal by incoming President Donald Trump has also cast a shadow over talks, raising pressure to find other ways to secure funds.EU negotiator Jacob Werksman said on Thursday that countries were still "way off" on agreeing a collective target.''It's been my experience that as long as there is a little bit more time to negotiate on something that's that complicated, we'll take it. So I don't think that we will completely close every issue this week, but I think that we will have developed a momentum that will ensure that we wrap it up certainly in the early part of next week."More countries said they would consider taxing pollutors, but any agreement is unlikely this time around.Most of the world's climate-friendly spending is skewed towards major economies such as China and the United States. Africa's 54 countries received just 2% of global renewable energy investments over the last two decades.

  • Tiny oceanic plankton adapted to warming during the last ice age, but probably won’t survive future climate change – new study

    Scientists have compared data from the last ice age, around 21,000 years ago, and modern records to see what happened to plankton when the world has previously warmed.

  • Nearly half of tropical coral species face extinction: report

    Almost half of all warm-water species of coral are threatened with extinction -- and climate change is the chief culprit, a new report said on Wednesday.The updated assessment of the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species looked at reef-building corals, which live in warm, shallow waters in tropical areas.

  • Australia urged to increase climate goal after UK announces ambitious 81% reduction target

    One expert says climate targets can seem abstract but matter because they serve as an ‘investment signal’ to cashed up investors

  • Fossil fuel pollution hits record high: Research

    Planet-warming carbon emissions reached a new high this year, according to research published Wednesday by the Global Carbon Project. The total emissions for the year are projected at 41.6 billion metric tons, an increase of 1 billion metric tons from 2023, according to the research. Much of the increase has been driven by increased emissions…

  • Starmer launches £1.8bn council tax raid – while paying less than a family in Durham

    Sir Keir Starmer has launched a £1.8bn council tax raid on households while enjoying some of the lowest rates in the country.

  • Soldiers caught having sex in Apache gunship

    Two soldiers were caught having sex in the cockpit of an Apache gunship.

  • Tory Gloom As Gaffe-Prone Kemi Badenoch Endures Another Miserable PMQs

    The new Tory leader walked straight into a trap laid by Keir Starmer.

  • Florida mom tricked teenager who was texting her 13-year-old daughter to meet at a Popeyes. He was then shot by police

    Cerry Banks arranged to meet the child at a fast food restaurant in Jacksonville, unaware that he had been conversing with the girl’s mother