Public far ahead of politics on climate emergency

Last month, as part of the research for a book I am writing on mobilizing Canada for the climate emergency, I commissioned an extensive national public opinion poll from Abacus Data. 

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer speaks
to a crowd in British Columbia on July 28, 2019.

I share highlights and my analysis below. But big picture, the results are hopeful and indicate a high level of support for bold and ambitious climate action. Canadians support systemic solutions that go well beyond what our governments have so far been willing to undertake.

First, a little background on why I commissioned this poll. For years, far too much of the political oxygen and polling on climate change has been consumed by the carbon tax/pricing debate. While carbon pricing is an important tool, it alone is not going to get us where we need to go, and the topic has distracted us from the scale of action needed.

Additionally, too often polling questions individualize the challenge and solutions, rather than focusing on collective and governmental actions. Past polling has tended to over-test people’s willingness to change their personal behavior or to pay a carbon tax.

Read the story from Canada’s National Observer by Seth Klein - “Public far ahead of politics on climate emergency.”