Nearly nine in 10 people worldwide want bold climate action—so why aren’t we acting like it?
From Pat Mitchell’s April 4, 2025 newsletter.
What percentage of people around the world want their governments to do more to fix the climate crisis?
The answer surprised me—and I have a feeling it might surprise you, too: A slew of new studies have found that the vast majority of the human population—80 to 89 percent—want governments to do more about the climate crisis.
We are the majority.
The fact that nearly nine out of 10 people on the planet demand climate action seems especially newsworthy at a time when some governments and corporations are backtracking on climate action even as ferocious heat waves, fires and floods are harming more and more people and economies around the world.
In the U.S., the Trump administration is working to roll back progress towards a cleaner, healthier and safer future—progress that was already moving too slowly—by prioritizing fossil fuels over renewable energy sources, the very industry that is threatening our health and the future lives of our children and grandchildren.
We hear so much on social media from companies, trolls and bots that is false, misleading and ultimately, disheartening, for those of us who are concerned about the planetary crisis that scientists have proven is real and urgent.
This disinformation and negative messaging—funded in large part by the fossil fuel industry—keeps many confused, silent, and on the sidelines.The global climate majority does not realize it is the majority, and that’s a problem. As Hannah Ritchie observes at Our World in Data:
“This ‘perception gap’ matters. Governments will change policy if they think they have strong public backing. Companies need to know that consumers want to see low-carbon products and changes in business practices. We’re all more likely to make changes if we think others will do the same.
If governments, companies, innovators and our neighbors know that most people are worried about the climate and want to see change, they’ll be more willing to drive it.
On the flip side, if we systematically underestimate widespread support, we’ll keep quiet for fear of ‘rocking the boat.’
This matters not only within each country but also in how we cooperate internationally. No country can solve climate change on its own. If we think that people in other countries don’t care and won’t act, we’re more likely to sit back as we consider our efforts hopeless.”
That’s why I am so excited to hear about a new initiative organized by Covering Climate Now, The Guardian and the Agence France-Presse global news agency. CCNow supports, convenes and trains journalists and newsrooms to produce rigorous climate coverage that engages audiences.
The 89 Percent Project is a year-long initiative that aims to shine light on this global majority, which all too often is missing from the public climate discourse.
“Journalism covers governments all the time. The 89 Percent Project flips the script by focusing on people, and what those people want from their governments,” CCNow co-founder Mark Hertsgaard wrote via email.
Joining The Guardian and AFP in this initiative are many news organizations around the world. If you work in the media, this is a project that I hope you will consider adding to your editorial calendar this year.
From the Covering Climate Now website:
The project launches on April 20, 2025, with a week of focused coverage by journalists and newsrooms around the world coinciding with Earth Day. A second week of focused coverage will come in October, before the COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil.
CCNow invites journalists and news organizations everywhere to participate in The 89 Percent Project—by running stories, collaborating with other newsrooms, joining and organizing public events, amplifying the project’s journalism on social media, and more.
To hear more, visit our website or email us at editors@coveringclimatenow.org.”
The 89 Percent Project aligns with Project Dandelion’s mission to address this communications gap with storytelling and breakthrough narratives. All of us need to shift our thinking from “it’s too late and there’s nothing I can do” doomism to the reality that the world already has all that’s needed for a transition off what’s killing us—fossil fuels—to the renewable energy sources that will sustain a healthier, cleaner future.
And that’s up to us.
Now is the time for this “too silent” majority to stand up and demand governments and businesses make the changes necessary to secure the most sustainable future that is possible and within our reach. Learn more about Project Dandelion and The 89 Percent Project.
Eighty-nine percent of the world’s population is a powerful force. We know the problem and we have the solutions. The climate crisis is a crisis of will and also a crisis of hope that we still have enough time to fix it.
We do. Let’s get started.
Onward!
P.S. Hope isn’t just something we hold; it’s something we build. And right now, we have an opportunity to build something powerful together.
From International Women’s Day (March 8) to Earth Day (April 22), Project Dandelion, the women-led campaign for a climate safe world for all, will be partnering with Doc Society and the screening platform, Kinema, to offer FREE screenings of the new documentary Mrs. Robinson to communities, educational institutions and anyone interested in witnessing bold leadership in action. We’ve developed a post-screening discussion guide on leadership and climate actions.
