Canadians Unhappy with Harper’s Performance at Copenhagen Summit
Many also express dissatisfaction with the commitments made at last month’s global meeting on climate change.
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(01/05/10) -
Many also express dissatisfaction with the commitments made at last month’s global meeting on climate change.
Canadians are generally unhappy with the results of last month’s Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,013 Canadian adults, 28 per cent of respondents are content with the leadership shown by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the summit to discuss climate change sponsored by the United Nations (UN). Conversely, almost half of Canadians (48%) express dissatisfaction with Harper’s performance at the meeting.
The Copenhagen Accord
Last month, representatives from 170 countries struggled to agree on a way to curb global warming. In the end, leaders issued a common statement including certain commitments to act. Most Canadians (56%) express frustration with the fact that the agreement that was finally reached is not legally binding.
A third of respondents (34%) are satisfied with the commitment to hold the increase of global temperatures below two degrees Celsius, but slightly more Canadians (36%) were left dissatisfied with this.
More respondents express satisfaction with the idea to create a fund to help developing nations adapt to climate change (46%), and with a commitment to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 (58%).
Over two-in-five Canadians (44%) don’t expect the Copenhagen Accord to ever become legally binding, and 73 per cent say are not confident that the world will reach the goal of holding the increase in global temperatures below two degrees Celsius.
Copenhagen and Climate Change: An Analysis
Canadians can be roughly divided into those who believe global warming is a fact and say it is caused by human activity (1); those who think global warming is a reality but is caused by natural changes (2), and those who think global warming is an unproven theory (3).
Those in the first group express a higher degree of dissatisfaction with their Prime Minister’s performance at Copenhagen (60%) than those in the second (38%) and third groups (30%).
Amongst respondents in the first group, 73 per cent are dissatisfied with the fact that the Copenhagen Accord is not legally binding, while this is true for fewer Canadians in the second (47%) and third groups (32%).Canadians in the first category are also more likely to express dissatisfaction with the commitment to hold warming temperatures below two degrees Celsius (44%) than those in the second (35%) and third groups (26%).
Respondents in the first group are the most enthusiastic about the creation of a fund to help developing nations cope with climate change (60% are satisfied with the idea); fewer people in the second (32%) and third groups (24%) agree with it.
Satisfaction with the commitment to lower global emission levels by half below 1990 levels by 2020 is high across the board, but highest amongst Canadians in the first group (66%, compared to 48% in the other groups).
Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)
CONTACT:
Jodi Shanoff, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
+416 712 5498
jodi.shanoff@angus-reid.com
