UK storms a result of climate change say nearly half of poll respondents

Survey for Avaaz suggests support for Ed Miliband's call for action with only 27% denying climate change linked to floods

Nearly half of people believe that the floods and storms that have ravaged Britain for the past three months are a result of climate change, compared with just over a quarter who do not, according to a new poll.

The Labour leader Ed Miliband's statement at the weekend that Britain was "sleepwalking into a national security disaster" appears to have struck a chord, with 38% of respondents saying the government needs to take more action on climate change. Just 22% of people agreed that the government is taking strong enough action.

More than one in three people said that political leadership on climate change and extreme weather events would affect how they voted in future.

Young people are overwhelmingly sure that climate change will pose a threat to their way of life. Two-thirds of people under 24 questioned by ICM said they thought that climate change would affect them, compared with 29% of over-65s. In total, 57% of the people asked thought climate change threatened the UK way of life.

Iain Keith, the Avaaz campaign director, said: "David Cameron has said that he will spend whatever's necessary to help people hit by the floods. But dealing with the consequences of climate change is not just about dams and dredging; it's about backing a long-term plan to cut emissions by half by 2030, which 50,000 people have urged him to do today."

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/18/floods-storms-climate-change-poll