Hans-Peter Plag View Bio

Published, last updated Apr. 22, 2025.
May 03, 2025, 22:51

Climate Change: The 89% Project

An overwhelming majority of the global population wants more and stronger climate action from their governments. But those in the majority don't realize that they are the majority. The year-long 89% Project seeks to raise awareness and end the 'silence of the majority.'

The Guardian has launched the 89% Project. This collaborative reporting project builds on a range of recent scientific studies finding that between 80-89% of the global population want stronger climate action. In a partnership between the Guardian US, Covering Climate Now, Agence France-Presse and other newsrooms, the 89% Project aims to end the silence about the silent majority.

Damian Carrington summarize the evidence of the majority in his article “‘Spiral of silence’: climate action is very popular, so why don’t people realise it?” published in The Guardian. Unfortunately, most of the people in that majority don't realize that they are a majority. In fact, the research shows that most think that others don’t agree. Experts agree that changing this and increasing awareness of the majority could be pivotal in spurring climate action. In a second article titled “Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say” Carrington underlines that making the concerned people in this majority aware that they are far from alone with these concerns could unlock the change so urgently needed to tackle the crisis.