Canadians say enough debate about global warming, time for practical solutions: WWF poll

40 per cent of the Canadians polled are convinced that global warming poses an urgent threat, to themselves and their families. Further, 58 per cent think important issues like health and education won’t matter if the global warming problem is not solved. Almost 60 per cent of Canadians think that the oil and gas industry is the real problem that needs to be tackled to solve global warming.

“Canadians see no tangible evidence of federal government action on fossil fuel pollution and are clearly getting frustrated,” said Julia Langer, director of WWF-Canada’s Global Threats program. “Any global warming plan that does not cap greenhouse gas emissions from the fossil fuel, industrial, transportation and building sectors in time to meet the Kyoto Protocol target will continue to fail the public credibility test.”

The Harper government has promised a ‘made in Canada’ climate change plan in the fall but has also tried to lower Canadians’ expectations by calling Kyoto emission reduction targets ‘impossible’ because of inaction by the previous government.

“The time for finger pointing and blaming others for Canada’s fossil fuel emissions has long past,” said Lorne Johnson, Ottawa Bureau Director for WWF-Canada. “There is no longer any debate that predictable, economy-wide, absolute reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions and energy efficiency regulations are the test of whether Canada is doing its part of avoid dangerous climate change”.

To avoid dangerous climate change, scientists agree that global average temperatures must not increase more than 2°C above pre-industrial times. This requires significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions starting immediately and ramping down to 60 per cent to 80 per cent by mid-century. Despite obligations under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce GHG emissions by 6 per cent below 1990 levels by 2012, Canada’s emissions have risen by 25 per cent.

The poll results, commissioned by WWF-Canada and conducted by EKOS Research Associates, are based on 1,269 telephone interviews conducted with a random sample of Canadians. The people polled were18 years and older, the poll was conducted between June 12 and 16 and are accurate to within +/- 2.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.