80 per cent claim city temperatures have risen: TERI survey

Over 80 per cent of the people surveyed in The Energy and Resources Institute's (TERI) Environmental Survey 2014 believe the average temperature in their city has risen over the years, while 63 per cent feel the average annual rainfall has reduced. Around 90 per cent of respondents acknowledged that global warming was a reality.

The survey, whose results were announced on Tuesday (June 3), covered 11,214 people in eight cities - Delhi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Indore, Jamshedpur, Kanpur and Pune - throws up a number of interesting insights.

While 90 per cent of those queried agree that improper waste management imposed health hazards on the community, more than 50 per cent remain unwilling to segregate their own waste. Around 86 per cent agree polythene bags should be banned. Around 60 per cent feel there is indeed a trade-off between development and preserving the environment. -the two are in conflict. More women (48 per cent) than men (36 per cent), however, feel the two can be reconciled.

"This time we have focused more on cities which normally don't get the attention they deserve," says R.K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI. "If we want to bring about an improvement in environmental quality, the foundation of any such effort would be public awareness. I hope through this survey we are able to bring about a level of awareness that lays the foundation for action in the right direction."