Canadians Uninformed about Climate Change
CBC Radio | Posted: December 11, 2015 8:55 PM | Last Updated: December 15, 2015
Opinion poll indicates uncertainty about causes, risks of and solutions to climate change
A large proportion of Canadians are uninformed – even mis-informed -- about climate change and its risks. Furthermore, in the public mind, there's significant uncertainty about what we can do about it – or whether we can do anything about it at all.
That's the message from a major opinion poll conducted by Dr. Erick Lachapelle, from the Political Science Department at Université de Montréal, and his colleagues. Just before the recent federal election, they surveyed more than one thousand Canadians and found that a significant minority expressed uncertainty or doubt about the causes of climate change, any many felt no particular concern about its risks, particularly in the near future.
When it came to taking action on climate change, most had no grasp of the essential policy tools that are being implemented, like cap and trade, and a significant number were unwilling to consider paying more, in any form, to reduce emissions and increase the use of renewables.
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