More ambitious climate action needed say Australians in 2021 Climate of the Nation Poll

The Australia Institute commissioned Climate of the Nation survey. This is  the longest continuous survey of community attitudes to climate change in the country.  The Climate Institute produced the report from 2007-2017 before the survey was taken over by the Australia Institute.

The quantitative survey was conducted by YouGov from 2-11 August 2021. The sample comprised 2,626 Australians aged 18 years and older. The overall margin of sampling error is 1.91%. The sample was distributed throughout Australia.

By the numbers:

• 82% of Australians are concerned climate change will result in more bushfires, more droughts and flooding, and animal and plant species extinction
• 82% of Australians support a phase-out of coal fired power stations
• 79% of Australians rank solar in their top three preferred energy sources, compared to 15% for coal and 19% for gas
• 75% of Australians are concerned about climate change
• 74% of Australians support state governments putting in place incentives for more renewable energy
• 71% of Australians support government subsidies to reduce the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle
• 70% of Australians would consider switching to electric hot water systems
• 69% think Australia should set targets and implement domestic action to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C and achieve net zero emissions
• 67% of Australians think Australia should be a world leader in finding solutions to climate change
• 66% of Australians think the Australian Government should stop new coal mines
• 64% of Australians support requiring all new car sales in Australia to be zero emissions vehicles by 2035
• 61% of Australians support a levy on fossil fuel exports to help pay for climate disasters
• 60% of Australians support Australia following the IEA pathway and not approving new gas, coal or oil projects
• 55x is the factor by which Australians overestimate gas and oil industry contribution to Commonwealth revenue
• 23% of Australians support the current level of fossil fuel industry subsidisation, compared to 57% that oppose it
• 12% of Australians prefer Australia’s economic recovery to be primarily powered by gas, while 63% prefer renewables investment

Richie Merzian, Climate & Energy Program Director, The Australia Institute, sums up the survey:

Climate of the Nation 2021 reveals the extent of the hunger Australians have for leadership on climate change. Two-thirds agree that Australia should be a world leader in finding solutions to climate change. More than two-thirds want Australia to commit to net zero emissions and set targets to limit global warming to 1.5-2°C. At the very least, that requires halving Australia’s emissions this decade (approximately doubling the current 2030 emissions reduction target) and not approving new gas, coal, or oil projects. While Australians support changes at a policy level, they are also willing to make changes themselves; to electrify their homes and their vehicles and power them using sun, wind, water and batteries.

Australian diplomacy in 2021 has thus far been disappointing. Our leaders have stubbornly resisted increasingly urgent calls by the United Nations and our key allies to increase Australia’s climate ambition and decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. 

I am not going to even try and summarise each section of this report but present 13 of what I consider to be the key graphs. 

Watch the launch of this survey report 13 October 2021, with Labor Shadow Spokesperson for Climate Change Chris Bowen on Youtube or below.

The Graphs showing community concern

References:

• The Australia Institute, 13 October 2021, Climate of the Nation 2021. Tracking Australia's attitudes towards climate change and energy. https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/climate-of-the-nation-2021/

Public Opinion Polls: Australians want climate action, renewables expansion

Two sets of opinion surveys highlighted how far ahead the Australian population is on climate and energy policy than the Federal Government and Liberal and National party policy.

The opinion polling by Essential Vision provides a national snapshot in areas such as belief in climate change, Labor's 50 per cent by 2030 renewables target, cause of the recent electricity blackouts in South Australia, whether renewables are a solution for our future energy needs, whether the Federal Government is doing enough on clean energy, and attitude to building more coal fired power stations.

The Victorian survey was larger and more nuanced by a private survey consultancy done for Sustainability Victoria. It showed much greater degree of support for climate action, renewables, the Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET), and the Victorian zero emissions by 2050 target. There was a high self-efficacy that everyone: individuals, businesses, environment groups, and the 3 levels of government, need to be taking considerable climate action, and that this should preferably be lead by the Federal Government.

It is notable that just last week the Coalition parties in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia all decided to abolish any state imposed renewable energy targets. This action would seems to be at odds with national opinion, but especially so in Victoria where there is much greater awareness and sense of urgency in tackling climate change. Opposition to the VRET appears to be a major backflip for Shadow minister for Renewables David Southwick.

The results should bolster the Federal Labor leadership under Bill Shorten to stick with their 50 per cent renewable energy target and ambitious climate policy that includes introduction of an Energy Intensity Scheme for the electricity generation industry.

For Turnbull, the results show his governments attacks on renewables and talking up 'clean coal' are not cutting through. In fact arguing against public opinion is probably making things worse in lowering public esteem for the Liberal Party.

The Victorian survey was released on the same day the Victorian Climate Change Act passed the Legislative Council (Upper house) and augers well for introduction of a Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) through legislation later in the year.

Polling shows most Australians want reef prioritised over coal #ReefElection

79 per cent of voters who read the Sydney Morning Herald either "strongly agree" or "agree" that the health of the Great Barrier Reef should be prioritised over coal mining.

Analysis of Fairfax Media's YourVote tool, which is similar to Votecompass in gauging online readers' beliefs to determine their political leanings, shows that out of about 63,000 responses, about 79 per cent either "strongly agree" or "agree" that the health of the Great Barrier Reef should be prioritised over coal mining. Yet both the Labor and Coalition parties have prioritised coal over coral.

Related:

• The Conversation (June 2016): Survey: more Australians want climate action now than before the carbon tax
• Climate Citizen (June 2016): Support for carbon pricing increases to 63 percent: VoteCompass
• Climate Citizen (May 2016): Opinion Poll: Support for 45 per cent climate targets and emissions trading
• Climate Citizen (Nov 2015): Lowy Institute Survey: climate now a pressing problem, Australians say lift targets
• Climate Citizen (July 2015): Renewables firmly favoured by Australian Public says poll
• Climate Citizen (Nov 2013): Australian Public opinion on carbon pricing and climate change

Support for carbon pricing increases to 63 percent: VoteCompass

The latest Vote Compass data on carbon pricing and climate change shows that Australians want more action on climate change and back carbon pricing. Some 63 per cent of Australians want carbon pricing back and 74 per cent support more government action on climate change. But Coalition voters remain split on carbon pricing.

Support for carbon pricing has increased from 50 percent at the votecompass survey in 2013 to 63 percent in 2016.

For the question on more action on climate change the results also incresed by 13 percent from 61 percent in 2013 to 74 percent in 2016.

As 2016 double dissolution election firms, Attorney General Brandis questions climate science

Katharine Murphy for the Guardian reports that Attorney General George Brandis stated in the Senate today that the science of climate change is far from settled.

Like Murphy, I am having trouble following the Brandis logic. If the climate science is not settled as he says, why are the LNP Government allowing CSIRO to savagely slash their climate research capacity in the CSIROcuts.

Lowy Institute Survey: climate now a pressing problem, Australians say lift targets

According to a Lowy Institute public opinion poll conducted in October-November 2015 over half of Australia's population believes that climate change is "a serious and pressing problem. We should begin taking steps now even if this involves significant costs".

Over the last few years concern has been steadily growing about climate change and the need to take action. The Lowy Institute points out that this is an increase of 16 percentage points since 2012 to 52 per cent.

Another 36 per cent of people reckon that "The problem of global warming should be addressed, but its effects will be gradual, so we can deal with the problem gradually by taking steps that are low in cost."

Just 11 per cent of people believe we "should not take any steps that would have economic costs."

On climate targets, 62 per cent of people think we "should be prepared to make stronger commitments on emissions reductions in the interests of reaching a global agreement". Malcolm Turnbull and Greg Hunt should keep this level of support in mind when they meet other heads of state and our diplomats start negotiating a climate agreement in Paris atthe UN climate conference.

Renewables firmly favoured by Australian Public says poll

It should come as no surprise that the Australian public enormously favours development of renewables. This is seen not only in public opinion polling on the issue, but also the rapid take up of roof top solar presently on 1.4 million Australian homes.

Recent opinion polling (21 July, 2015) by Essential Research on renewables finds that 50 per cent of Australians think that the Federal Government should prioritise support for the renewable energy industry over the coal industry. Ony 6 per cent favoured priotising coal industry, and 28 per cent thought both industries should be treated equally.

Even amoung coalition voters 39 per cent favoured renewables to 14 per cent for coal, and 28 per cent equally.

Opinion Poll: more extreme weather expected, linked to climate change by Australian public

An opinion poll across Australia by Essential media has found that most people expect extreme weather events to get worse, and that this trend is linked to climate change.

Essential media conducted the survey from the 24th to 28th October 2013 based on 1,075 respondents as part of their regular opinion poll surveying releasing the opinion poll data on 4th November. This was part of their regular surveying but two questions in particular in this survey focussed on the frequency of extreme weather events and whether they are linked to climate change. (See Essential Report 4 November 2014 PDF)

Observational data and scientific modelling by both the BOM and CSIRO is pretty clear that the frequency, intensity and seasonal extent of bushfires will all increase due to climate change with this trend already being observed. (See Climate Council report: Climate Change & The Australian Bushfire Threat, December 2013)

Similarly for extreme heat events, we are seeing more frequent hot days with longer heatwaves, and the liklihood of starting earlier in Spring and ending later in Autumn. 2013 was Australia's hottest year on record with Fractional attribution of risk research showing conclusively that the hand of human caused climate change was involved. (See Climate Council report: Heatwaves: Hotter, Longer, More Often, February 2014)

Opinion Surveys: Climate leadership demanded of Australian Government

Climate change action continues to be an issue of concern in national politics and debate with federal politicians being way more conservative than the general public according to several recent public opinion polls. The polls say that nearly 70 per cent of people want companies to pay for their carbon pollution through some sort of carbon pricing and that the Australian Government should take a leadership role in climate mitigation solutions.

It is perhaps one reason why conservative populist politician Clive Palmer had an inconvenient truth moment with Al Gore this week.

Even last year during the 2013 election campaign a substantial majority of people supported action on climate change with 49.2 per cent supporting to some degree the carbon pricing scheme presently in operation according to the ABC Votecompass survey. Read my analysis: Australian Public opinion on carbon pricing and climate change

Australian Public opinion on carbon pricing and climate change

Was Australia's Federal election a referendum on the carbon price and Australia's policies on climate change? Prime Minister Tony Abbott would have us believe that it was. Indeed, he campaigned strongly to 'axe the carbon tax'.

But exit polling by the Climate Institute and results from the ABC's Vote Compass show that Tony Abbott's views on carbon pricing and climate change are sharply at odds with the views of the electorate.

The estimated 60,000 people who rallied for climate action across Australia on November 17 also shows there is substantial support for climate action and for carbon pricing.