(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of Australians want their government to introduce policies to tackle climate change without waiting for consensus with other countries, according to a poll by AC Nielsen published in the Sydney Morning Herald. 77 per cent of respondents say Australia should begin cutting its greenhouse gas emissions regardless of what other countries do.

Additionally, 68 per cent of respondents say they are prepared to pay more for goods and services as a result of the new greenhouse gas policies.

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.

Earlier this month, Pope Benedict XVI—the maximum authority of the Catholic Church—visited Australia and referred to global warming as the result of society’s "insatiable hunger" for consumption. The Pope praised the Australian government’s policies, calling them a "serious commitment to address its responsibility to care for the natural environment."

Polling Data

Do you think Australia should press ahead and cut its greenhouse gas emissions, regardless of what other countries do?

Greenhouse gas abatement would cause the price of goods and services to increase. Are you prepared to pay more?

Source: AC Nielsen / The Sydney Morning Herald
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,400 Australian voters, conducted from Jul. 17 to Jul. 19, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

Archive Search

Over 19,600 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.