A recent global survey found that Indonesia has the highest percentage of climate change deniers in the world. Among Indonesian respondents, 18 percent were deniers, followed by Saudi Arabians (16 percent) and Americans (13 percent). This is an alarming revelation compared to expressed commitments of the government to address climate change even before joining the Paris Agreement in 2016.

An international internet-based market research and data analytics firm, the YouGov-Cambridge Center, partnered with The Guardian daily and the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom to produce the YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project. This study on populism and globalization includes national samples, each comprising about 1,000 people in 23 countries.

Psychology studies have explained that the reason people reject indubitable science like climate change is not ignorance, but because they “cherry pick” the facts that back up what they already believe to be true.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.