While a recent Pew Global Attitudes survey finds a double-digit increase in the proportion of Americans citing the environmental problems as a major global threat – from 23% to 37% — pollution is still a lower-rated concern in the U.S. than in any other advanced industrial country or in China. In deed, the Chinese are far more likely than Americans to cite environmental problems as a top global danger (70% vs. 37%). In several countries, the proportion viewing environmental degradation as a leading global threat has risen sharply in the past five years. In Brazil, the percentage considering pollution and environmental problems to be a top danger rose from 20% in 2002 to 49% this year; concerns also have risen sharply in Argentina (25 percentage points), France (23 points), and Venezuela (22 points). Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.