There is strong support among WWViews participants to put in place short-term emission limits for low-income developing countries. The strongest demands come from citizens from the poorest countries themselves.

OBSERVATIONS

• 89% of the participating citizens think that low-income developing countries, as a minimum, should limit the increase in their emissions in proportion to their income and the volume of greenhouse gases they emit. The more their economy expands and the greater their emissions, the more they should limit their growth in emissions.

• 41% go beyond that and say that they should even reduce emissions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.

• In contrast to citizens’ views on emission targets for Annex 1 countries and fast-growing economies, views on emission targets for low-income developing countries vary considerably across national income groups. In general, participating citizens from low-income developing countries are willing to do more than citizens from richer countries expect them to do.

ASSESSMENTS

The WWViews results are in stark contrast to what is currently being discussed in the UN negotiations, in which no one is suggesting that low-income developing countries should commit to emission reductions by 2020.

Although participating citizens from low-income developing countries are willing to do more than others expect, the general view among WWViews participants is that what is to be done should fall within a shared but differentiated responsibility. This goes well in line with current political thinking, but WWViews participants also give their politicians a clear mandate to set emission targets for low-income developing countries.

The willingness among participants from low-income developing countries such as Malawi, the Maldives and Mozambique to do more than expected from other countries could be explained by the fact that they see themselves as the main victims of global warming. It may also be linked to the wish for technology transfer expressed in several recommendations from these countries. This sends a strong signal to politicians in both rich and poor countries about the urgency of the situation at hand.