Across high-income countries, fewer people now call climate a “major threat” than in 2022, while carbon pricing instruments collect more than US$100 billion a year. The gap between public mood, scientific institutions and fiscal machinery is worth examining carefully.
Public opinion Carbon pricing Fiscal policyClimate debate is often framed as a contest between “belief” and “denial.” The survey and fiscal data of 2025–2026 paint a more awkward picture: concern remains widespread in many countries, trust in science is under pressure globally, carbon prices and revenues have grown, and in several high-income democracies the share of adults who treat climate as a major threat has fallen since 2022.
Pew Research Center’s 2025 cross-national work found a median of 67% of adults across 25 nations saying global climate change is a major threat to their country. In many high-income countries surveyed in both 2022 and 2025, that share decreased — notably in Greece, Italy and the Netherlands.
A Pew survey of 3,524 U.S. adults (March 2026) found about six in ten Americans saying countries will not do enough to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Among Democrats that share rose from 51% in 2022 to 69% in 2026.
Wellcome Global Monitor 2026 found 72% reporting some or a lot of trust in science — down from 80% in 2020. The share who trust science “a lot” fell in 14 regions between 2020 and 2025.
The World Bank’s State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2026 reports direct carbon pricing covering roughly 29% of global GHG emissions. Government revenues from ETSs and carbon taxes in 2025 exceeded US$107 billion.
Scientific community — assessments and observations are not opinion polls.
Fiscal and political machinery — carbon taxes and ETSs create prices, revenues and distributional fights.
General public — threat perception, trust and willingness to pay can move with energy costs, media cycles and party identity.
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