World ready for lifestyle changes, tax shifting

A BBC poll of people in 21 countries reveals that most are ready to make significant lifestyle changes to combat global warming.

Four out of five people indicated they were prepared to change their lifestyle – even in the US and China, the world’s two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide.

Also, most favor the Green Party policy of tax shifting: increasing taxes on climate-changing carbon while reducing personal taxes by the same amount.

And when those opposed to higher taxes were asked whether they would change their minds if other taxes were reduced in order to keep their total tax burden the same, the survey again discovered large majorities in every country in favoured of higher green taxes.