(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Most Australians express concern over the state of the earth, according to a four-nation poll by Roy Morgan International. 66 per cent of respondents consider themselves environmentalists at heart. New Zealand is second on the list with 64 per cent, followed by Britain with 58 per cent and the United States with 56 per cent.

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.

Last month, Australian prime minister John Howard discussed the possibility of building nuclear power stations in his country, saying, "It is a different world from what it was a few years ago, if not only because of the price of oil. Nuclear power is cleaner and greener."

Also last month, 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."

Drivers in Britain pay a yearly Vehicle Excise Duty (VED)—also known as the road tax—which ranges from $95 U.S. to $290 U.S. per car. In March, current chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown—who is expected to become prime minister once Tony Blair reigns—suggested the introduction of zero rate for the least polluting vehicles.

In his Apr. 22 radio address, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed his environmental policies, saying, "I have proposed the Advanced Energy Initiative to change the way we power our homes, businesses, and cars. I will visit the California Fuel Cell Partnership to take a closer look at hydrogen fuel cells, one of the exciting new technologies supported by my initiative. These fuel cells have the potential to revolutionize the way we power our cars by giving us vehicles that will emit no pollution and will be more efficient than gas-powered cars."

Polling Data

Please say whether you agree with the following statement:

At heart, I'm an environmentalist.

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