(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The majority of Australians think climate change is a reality and a consequence of human activity, according to a poll by Essential Research. 53 per cent of respondents share this opinion, while 34 per cent say the phenomenon is a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The majority of Australians think climate change is a reality and a consequence of human activity, according to a poll by Essential Research. 53 per cent of respondents share this opinion, while 34 per cent say the phenomenon is a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate.
The term global warming refers to an increase of the Earth’s average temperature. Some theories say that climate change might be the result of human-generated carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. In 2007, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report which states that global warming has been "very likely"—or 90 per cent certain—caused by humans burning fossil fuels.
In 1998, several countries agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, a proposed amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The agreement commits nations to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
Australia held a federal election in November 2007. Final results gave the Australian Labor Party (ALP) 85 seats in the 150-member House of Representatives. ALP leader Kevin Rudd was officially sworn in as prime minister in December, bringing an end to the 11-year tenure of Liberal leader John Howard as head of Australia’s government.
Rudd signed the Kyoto Protocol immediately after being sworn in, delivering on one of his electoral promises. In March 2008, the Kyoto Protocol came into effect. In July, the Rudd government introduced its Green Paper, a proposal to curb carbon emissions.
In September 2008, after reviewing the Green Paper, the government said it will implement a "Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme." The plan will include a carbon emissions trading system that will help reduce pollution "in a responsible and flexible manner and at the lowest possible cost" by giving businesses a permit to release up to a certain amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The mechanism will apply to stationary energy, transport, fugitive emissions, industrial processes, and the waste and forestry sectors.
On Nov. 16, the bill with the trading scheme proposal was approved by the lower house of the legislature. The government expects the upper house to deliver a vote on the bill by the end of this month.
At this point, the trading scheme bill needs the support of at least seven lawmakers from the opposition coalition of Liberals and National to pass in the Australian Senate.
On Nov. 17, Rudd declared: "We have three days left this week, one is now gone, we have four days left next week to debate what is arguably one of the most important pieces of legislation for the nation and the economy for the year ahead."
Polling Data
Do you agree that there is fairly conclusive evidence that climate change is happening and caused by human activity or do you believe that the evidence is still not in and we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate which happens from time to time?
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Climate change is happening and is caused by human activity
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53%
|
|
We are just witnessing a normal fluctuation in the earth’s climate
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34%
|
|
Don’t know
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13%
|
Source: Essential Research
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,122 Australian adults, conducted from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
