…As Sub-Saharan Africans Sustain Strong Value For Climate Change
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit organization that provides a proven responsible forest management solution, unveiled today at its General Assembly “The 2025 Global Consumer Awareness Survey” report, which reflected a sharp slide in public concern for climate change, even after the hottest year on record.
The report, conducted with IPSOS across 50 countries and 40,000+ respondents, found that war and conflict (52%) now dominated public worries while climate change trailed at 31%, representing a 21-point gap in the 2025 snapshot.
The organization pointed out that looking only at the 32 countries surveyed in both 2022 and 2025, the concern gap had widened from 12 points in 2022, when economic hardship was on top position, to 16 points in 2025.
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The global highlights of the report’s findings indicated that issues such as loss of species, deforestation, wildfires, droughts and floods remained among the most pressing forestry concerns worldwide, underscoring that people experience climate risk very directly through forests.
The report revealed that while concern about climate change ranked lower than other global crises, Canadians expressed strong concern about forest-related issues like wildfires, likely because they are a threat felt more locally.
On rising concern in key markets, FSC reported that Japan recorded a notable increase in climate concern since 2022, while Brazil also moved sharply upward, bucking the global decline, while attitudes at the checkout showed that despite the attention shift, consumers still rewarded credible sustainability; demand for products that “do no harm” to plants and animals remains strong and continues to influence brand trust and loyalty.
A further assessment of the report on geopolitical basis indicated that the European results were particularly striking as across France, Denmark, Spain, the UK and Germany, public concern over climate change had dropped by 6–10 percentage points since 2022.
FSC noted that these countries were among Europe’s largest economies and climate leaders, but public attention is clearly shifting, while at the same time, the EU had been pushing ahead with ambitious climate legislation — creating a disconnect between policy momentum and public concern.
Commenting on the report’s findings, Director-General of FSC, Dr. Subhra Bhattacharjee, said: “This concern gap shows why we must work with the concrete realities of people’s lives if we are to address climate change effectively. The survey shows a clear contradiction: people report lower worry about climate change, and yet they reward brands that can prove sustainability. This disconnect between abstract concepts and practical choices points to a clear need: make climate action tangible in daily life.”
The organization further clarified that while “climate change” may rank lower as an abstract global issue in the 50-country snapshot, across the forestry module markets the impacts felt through forests, wildfires, droughts, floods, and biodiversity loss ranked among the top concerns within the forestry sector even as “loss of plant and animal species” and “deforestation” consistently appear among the most pressing forestry issues in those markets.
It noted that together, these results reinforced forests’ dual role as frontline climate arenas as they are highly vulnerable to climate change and essential to tackling it.
FSC further found through the study that despite slipping concern levels, consumer behavior showed strong climate values, with 72% of global consumers across 29 markets saying they preferred products that do not harm plants or animals.
In her remarks, Senior Director of Markets at FSC, Helen Chepkemoi Too, said: “Even if climate change isn’t always top of mind, people are increasingly voting with their wallets. They want sustainable choices—and they reward brands that can prove their impact.”
The report also showed that more importantly, recognition of the FSC label correlated with higher levels of trust in brands, showing that climate-conscious choices are a powerful driver of loyalty and reputation.
On Africa’s Climate Change findings, FSC reported that in 2025, the study included Egypt for the first time on Kenya and South Africa that was included in 2023, and that the results showed that public concern about climate change declined most sharply in Kenya, down by 12 percentage points since 2023, followed by a 7-point drop in South Africa.
Reflecting on the findings, Deputy Director, FSC Africa, Annah Agasha, said: “Africa has faced a year marked by conflict, economic strain, and social unrest. These realities inevitably influence people’s priorities.
“Yet even amid uncertainty, sustainability remains a strong value across the continent. In Kenya and South Africa, FSC recognition rose to an average of 62%, up from 58% in 2023, showing that while people’s concerns shift, their commitment to responsible choices endures”, the Agasha added.
FSC pointed out the report’s finding matter because as wars, pandemics and inflation dominate public debate, climate change risks continued to slide out of political and consumer consciousness, while at the same time, people clearly want sustainable products and see the loss of plant and animal species as the greatest forestry related concern, with a majority expecting companies to ensure that their products do not contribute to deforestation.
To address the challenges of low public concern about climate change globally, FSC called on national governments for integrated strategies that address environmental action alongside social and economic security — ensuring climate solutions are not deprioritized in the face of crises.
These findings are being debated this week at the FSC General Assembly, where global stakeholders are gathered to shape the future of responsible forest management and its role in tackling climate emergencies.
The FSC and IPSOS Global Consumer Awareness Survey 2025 interviewed more than 40,000 people in 50 markets. Historical comparisons are based on the 32 markets that were surveyed in both 2022 and 2025.
