A major new survey has found that the vast majority of people all over the planet are ready to embrace a global government in the hope that it will save humanity from catastrophe and major threat.
The survey, carried out by ComRes on behalf of the Stockholm based group Global Challenges Foundation found that on average, close to three quarters (71%) of the general public wish to see the creation of a new “supranational organisation to make enforceable global decisions” about major threats to humanity.
In every single country, over 60% of respondents said they wished to see a global government to tackle such issues as climate change, disease pandemics, artificial intelligence turning against humanity, weapons of mass destruction, natural disaster, and asteroids.
The wording of the specific question in the survey was as follows:
A supranational organisation is an international body comprised of different member countries. It does not replace national governments, but places global interests above that of nation-states. Examples of supranational organisations include the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations.
Do you think that a new supranational organisation should be created to make enforceable global decisions to address global risks?
As The London Independent reports, almost 70% of people in the UK supported the idea of a global government, with 62 per cent saying they consider themselves to be “a global citizen”.
A further 54% of Brits said they would happily give up national sovereignty in order for worldwide threats to be more readily dealt with by a global body.
The survey collated information from 8,100 people in eight countries, encompassing half the world’s population. Those countries were Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, South Africa, the UK and US.
It found that support for a “supranational organisation” was high across the board, with the most support coming from India (84 per cent), China (78 per cent) and South Africa (76 per cent).
In the US, 67 per cent said they supported the creation of a world governing body to deal with threats. The lowest support was measured in Germany, yet the figure was still a resounding majority at 62 per cent.
Over 60% in every country said they considered themselves a ‘global citizen’. In the US the figure was 67%.
Specifically on the issue of climate change, a huge 88% of respondents said they would be willing to see their living standards change in order to offset catastrophic future climate changes.
“As world leaders gather for the G7 Summit, they should be aware that citizens across the planet are yearning for them to collaborate and work harder to find solutions for these critical threats to humanity,” said Mats Andersson, the foundation’s vice-chairm, adding that “The next 50 years will shape our far future over the next 10,000 years and beyond.”
The survey was commissioned as part of a $5m competition for new proposals to “re-envision global governance to better cope with 21st century risks” according to the group’s website.
It asks those taking part to “be part of the global conversation. Help to change the shape of things to come.”
The report paints a grim picture on climate change, focusing on the notion that the average global temperature will rise one to three degrees Celsius in the foreseeable future.
“Even in mid-range scenarios, entire ecosystems would collapse, much agricultural land would be lost, as would most reliable freshwater sources, leading to large-scale suffering and instability.” it states.
No comments:
Post a Comment