The report, which was conducted by Ipsos in nine countries, found that in two-thirds of the markets researched, including the UK, people felt that companies and their brands should be finding solutions to climate change rather than the government.
It suggested that consumers have given up on their government's abilities to combat the problem. Only 11% of respondents agreed strongly that their elected leaders are doing enough to stop climate change.
The report also revealed that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of who is credibly making changes and who is not, despite green stereotypes associated with different sectors.
It found that 79% of consumers would rather buy from companies doing their best to reduce their impact on the environment, while 89% are likely to buy more green goods in the next 12 months and 35% are willing to pay a premium for those goods.
When it comes to buying green, 80% of people said they would buy more if it were on offer.
The survey suggests that consumer awareness of the damage done by particular companies and sectors is growing increasingly sophisticated. Companies which fail to act responsibly can no longer expect to hide behind generally positive perceptions of the sector in which they operate.
For example, some brands within banking, which as a sector is ranked more environmentally correct than the oil and fuel industries, were considered less environmentally friendly than some of the proactive oil and fuel brands.
The survey also looked at the contrasts between developing and developed markets. It found that although the developed world is globally perceived to be the largest contributor to global warming, there is a dramatic gulf between the attitudes of the richest countries and those in the developing world.
Brazil, China and India are among those who claim to be most alarmed by climate change, while respondents in the US, UK and Germany demonstrate far lower levels of concern.
Similarly, consumers in China, Brazil, Mexico and India, would be significantly more willing than their North American, British and German counterparts to spend extra on environmentally-friendly products.
Alfonso Rodes, the chief executive of Havas Media, said: "This research was undertaken to fit within our strategy of developing our understanding of the impact of major shifts in consumer perception on our clients' brands.
"It is clear to us that climate change and the corresponding shift in consumers' relationships with brands represents one of the major challenges for all brands during the next decade."
The report was conducted in the US, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, India and China, using over 11,000 online interviews and 18 focus groups.