Developing world more concerned by Global Warming than the Developed World

The economist.com reports that people in China, Brazil, India and Mexico are more concerned about global warming than their counterparts in the Developed world. It also shows a high level of pessimism in the West about our ability (or willingness to make sacrifices?) to fight climate change.

• 60% of Indians think climate change is one of the world's biggest problems.
• 47% of Chinese agree.
• Only 22% of Britons think so.

• Only 5% of Britons think people and organisations (including governments) were doing enough.
• 41% of Germans thought it was not worth bothering as nothing could be done about climate change.

(Source: HSBC report published 12th July 2007)

I wonder how much of this is a generational thing. I think young people are far more optimistic about their abilities to make changes, both to their own lifestyles and to society, and are almost certainly less set in their ways than older people. And there is a far higher proportion of young people in Developing countries than in the ageing West.