A new survey indicates a significant majority of Americans believe combating global warming is a moral issue that obligates them -- and world leaders -- to reduce carbon emissions.

A Reuters/IPSOS poll of 2,827 Americans was conducted in February to measure the impact of moral language, including interventions by Pope Francis, on the climate change debate

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Over 2,800 Americans were polled in February to determine how much moral language is used when it comes to the debate over climate change.

Much of the research was prompted by Pope Francis, whose interventions have been growing more forceful regarding the moral implications of neglecting to act on the kinds of global temperature increases that will adversely affect the lives of the world's poor much more than it will the rest of the world's more affluent populations.

The result of the poll suggests that appeals based on ethics could be key to shifting the debate over climate change in the United States.

Two-thirds of respondents said that world leaders are morally obligated to take action to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. And 72 percent said they were "personally morally obligated" to do what they can in their daily lives to reduce emissions.

Poor countries often bear the brunt of climate change's effects in terms of extreme weather, droughts and storms, and are often unable to fund infrastructure to mitigate the damage of disasters.

The broad appeal of climate change as viewed through a moral lens could be the secret to mobilizing effective change.

"When climate change is viewed through a moral lens it has broader appeal," said Eric Sapp, executive director of the American Values Network, a grassroots organization that mobilizes faith-based communities on politics and policy issues.

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