In a recent study carried out by the Arizona State University, 20000 people were interviewed and asked what worries them the most at the moment. Astonishingly, 85% of the interviewed listed climate change as their number one concern, and only 10% did not list climate change in their top three. This is a radical change from the previous studies, where economic and security related issues have been dominant.

"Climate change has been getting much more media coverage in the past couple of years and we believe people are becoming more knowledgeable of this issue", says professor Jackson, the leader of the team of researches who carried out the study. "Also, in the Southwest people are also worried about the mega-drought, which is affecting our lives already today". 

Mega-droughts are not a new phenomenon, but according to researchers, climate change may now be contributing to the weather patterns in a way that could be causing one of the worst droughts in the past millennia.

"Many of the interviewed linked climate change to economic issues as well, especially agriculture, even though the economy as a whole was not among the list of concerns they have", professor Jackson concludes.