Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

Canadians Assess Global Warming Measures

August 03, 2005
Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Canada believe their federal administration has not done enough to deal with climate change, according to a poll by Ipsos-Reid for CanWest Global. 52 per cent of respondents believe the government has done a poor or very poor job to address concerns about global warming.

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in Canada believe their federal administration has not done enough to deal with climate change, according to a poll by Ipsos-Reid for CanWest Global. 52 per cent of respondents believe the government has done a poor or very poor job to address concerns about global warming.

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 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. Canada is one of 140 nations to have ratified the revised agreement, which came into effect in February.

Last month at the G-8 summit in Perthshire, Scotland, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States promised to implement a "new dialogue" on climate change, deeming the issue a "serious long-term challenge" for the planet.

The Canadian government has discussed stricter voluntary guidelines with the automobile industry—but not a mandatory program or system—so that cars burn 25 per cent less fuel by 2010.

Polling Data

When thinking about how the federal government has been doing in recent years to address concerns about global warming, would you say it has done a good job or a poor job?

Very good job

4%

Good job

40%

Poor job

40%

Very poor job

12%

Don't know

4%

Source: Ipsos-Reid / CanWest Global
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,001 Canadian adults, conducted from Jul. 12 to Jul. 14, 2005. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.