LONDON: Almost two-thirds of the world's people - and seven in 10 in China - say there must be urgent action to tackle global warming, a poll for the BBC World Service showed yesterday.

Overall, 65 percent of the 22,000 people polled in 21 countries said there was a need "to take major steps very soon" ranging from 91 percent in Spain to 37 percent in India.

In the United States, the world's biggest emitter of climate changing carbon gases, 59 percent called for urgent action; and in China, it was 70 percent.