Is a world government the answer to global issues?

A majority of Britons would back the formation of a world government to coordinate global efforts on natural and man-made catastrophes, according to a new survey.

Who conducted the survey?

The Global Challenges Foundation, a Swedish think-tank, commissioned a survey by ComRes of more than 8,000 people in eight countries ahead of the G7 summit in Sicily this week, reports The Independent.

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People in Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, India, South Africa, the UK and the US were asked what they felt was the most serious threat to mankind, including disease, a massive volcanic eruption, artificial intelligence turning against us, weapons of mass destruction and ecological collapse.

What are the greatest perceived threats?

Climate change came out top in all eight countries, which are collectively home to half the population of the planet.

Eighty-eight per cent of respondents said they would be prepared to make changes that would affect their living standards to prevent catastrophic climate change in the future.

In the UK, 80 per cent of those surveyed ranked climate change as the greatest threat to the planet. The threat of nuclear war and use of weapons of mass destruction came in second.

What are the solutions?

Almost seven in ten Britons (69 per cent) said they would support the creation of a new "supranational organisation to make enforceable global decisions" about major threats, while 54 per cent would be happy for the UK to give up some of its sovereignty to address the world's most serious problems.

Support for a world government was highest in India (84 per cent), followed by China (78 per cent) and South Africa (76 per cent), but the idea was popular across the board. US support was 67 per cent while Germany had the lowest figure at 62 per cent.

Ahead of Friday's G7 summit in Italy, Global Challenges Foundation vice chairman Mats Andersson urged nations to work together to address people's fears.

"Whether it's the spectre of nuclear conflict over North Korea or our planet tipping into catastrophic climate change, the need for effective global cooperation has never been greater," he said.