Solid public support for climate change agenda

News Article - 24 May 2012
Category:

Two major polls reveal solid support for climate change action on both sides of the Atlantic, despite the impact of the 'climategate' email leaks. A survey of 1,822 people from the University of Cardiff and polling firm Ipsos Mori found that while belief in climate change has dipped slightly in the last five years, confidence in the issue's importance has not collapsed.

The 'climategate' scandal centred on the Climatic Research Unit (CRU), based at the University of East Anglia. Leaked emails suggested data had been manipulated to bolster the climate change argument, and that pro-climate change scientists had conspired to keep critics out of peer-reviewed literature.

At the time, commentators thought the revelation could reduce support for the climate change agenda. While the University of Cardiff survey reveals some evidence for this, the effect does not seem to be as pronounced as initially thought. 78% of respondents believe the climate is changing, down from 91% in 2005. And 68% would support spending taxpayers' money on projects to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

70% of respondents claimed a personal responsibility for helping to reverse climate change, with a further 63% saying their own behaviour was contributing to climate change, and that making changes could cut carbon emissions. Perhaps the most telling evidence of the 'climategate' scandal was that 40% of respondents felt the climate change threat has been overstated.

However, 71% remain fairly or very concerned by climate change, with only 20% believing there was still controversy amongst scientists over whether human beings were the primary cause. Similar viewpoints are held in America, according to a study by researchers at Yale and George Mason Universities. Public belief that global warming is currently happening increased by four points to 61% since January, with 50% believing humans are predominantly to blame, an increase of three points.

Businesses should be aware of the widespread public support for the climate change agenda, in particular the spending of taxpayers' money on British initiatives. With the Government introducing a raft of measures to cut carbon emissions and meet targets, businesses will no doubt come under increasing pressure to dedicate resources to tackling climate change.

Reporting carbon emissions is an essential first-step: without accurate data on the relative carbon-intensity of each business division, companies will be unable to tackle the issue efficiently. Knowledge of where the most considerable cuts can be made allows resources to be deployed far more effectively. Access business software provides system-wide carbon reporting functionality as standard.

For more information, please call Access on 0845 345 3300.

 

 

Article keywords: University of Cardiff, Ipsos Mori, Climatic Research Unit, CRU, University of East Anglia, climate change, accounting for carbon emissions, carbon emissions, Yale University, George Mason University, reducing carbon emissions, reporting carbon emissions, Access business software, system-wide carbon reporting functionality

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