May 11, 2006

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Scan) - Adults in five nations around the world believe more should be done to protect the earth, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. At least 84 per cent of respondents in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and Indonesia believe the world's environmental problems could become uncontrollable unless action is taken now.

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Adults in five nations around the world believe more should be done to protect the earth, according to a poll by Roy Morgan International. At least 84 per cent of respondents in Australia, Britain, New Zealand and Indonesia believe the world's environmental problems could become uncontrollable unless action is taken now.

In the United States, 76 per cent of respondents agreed with the premise.

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 July 2005 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.

Yesterday, the New Zealand government announced a $12.7 million U.S. investment to clean up contaminated sites and enhance biodiversity and biosecurity. Environment minister David Benson-Pope declared, "New Zealand has an unwanted legacy of potentially contaminated sites from activities like pesticide manufacture, coal gas production, mining, rubbish disposal, timber treatment, and sheep dipping."

Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree? - If we don't act now we'll never control our environmental problems.

	Agree	Disagree
Australia	88%	9%
Britain	85%	10%
New Zealand	85%	12%
Indonesia	84%	8%
United States	76%	19%

Source: Roy Morgan International
Methodology: Interviews with 23,413 Australians aged 14 and over in Australia, conducted between February 2005 and January 2006. Interviews with 12,317 people aged 14 and over in New Zealand, conducted between February 2005 and January 2006. Interviews with 1,914 people aged 14 and over in Britain, conducted between March and November 2005. Interviews with 3,970 people aged 14 and over in the United States, conducted between December 2004 and November 2005. Interviews with 24,689 people aged 14 and over in Indonesia, conducted between January 2005 and December 2005.