ZERO SUM GAME

EXCLUSIVE: Australians want action on climate but are reluctant to pay, writes Joe Hildebrand

MOST Australians want the government to act on climate change but almost half say they don’t want to pay for it, an exclusive poll has found.

A nationwide YouGov poll commissioned by The Mercury also reveals Australians don’t think the economy will suffer as the world moves towards a netzero economy and that we should continue to export coal as long as there is global demand for it.

The poll of 2421 respondents found that a large majority of adults in all states – an average of 58 per cent nationally – said Australia should switch to 100 per cent renewable energy such as solar, wind and hydro by 2050.

A third, 33 per cent, said Australia should continue to use some non-renewable sources such as coal and gas, with Queenslanders the most pro-fossil fuel on 38 per cent and Tasmanians the least on 25 per cent.

The results come as The Mercury launches Mission Zero, a groundbreaking editorial series examining the pathways Australia can take to reach the global target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Critically, the series has set as its benchmark a test that no worker should be left behind and no household should be forced to pay more for their power bills.

This also appears to be the correct gauge of the national mood, with strong majority commitment for a shift to net zero but a reluctance to pay more to get there.

Just over 40 per cent of Australians also supported setting an even more aggressive target than netzero emissions by 2050.

But a slightly greater number said they would not pay extra to reach such a target, with 43 per cent saying they were not prepared to pay extra on their power bill and a further 28 per cent unwilling to pay more than $25 a month.

Another 14 per cent were prepared to pay up to $50 a month and only 15 per cent of respondents were prepared to pay any more than that.

YouGov pollster Campbell White said it was significant that 57 per cent of people were willing to pay extra – even if half of that number would only accept a small increase – and that this was overwhelmingly driven by attitudes to climate targets.

“Three quarters of those who want to reach net zero faster than 2050 and 61 per cent of those who want a 2050 target are actually saying they would be prepared to wear higher power bills to achieve this,” Mr White said.

“It’s those who don’t want a target who are prepared to pay nothing – 88 per cent.

“Of course, they’re not necessarily prepared to pay a lot more; 43 per cent of those who want a faster target say they are prepared to pay more than $50 a month, and 27 per cent of those who want a 2050 target.”

Victorians were far more prepared to pay than other states, with 34 per cent prepared to pay up to $25 a month and only 38 per cent saying they were not prepared to pay anything extra.

And two-thirds of respondents thought power bills would either get cheaper – 37 per cent – or remain about the same – 29 per cent – under a net-zero target.

More people thought bills would get cheaper than more expensive – 37 per cent versus 34 per cent. This was most pronounced in South Australia, the only state already wholly powered by renewable energy, with 40 per cent predicting cheaper and 30 per cent dearer power bills.

“There is something quite interesting when we ask people what impact a faster target would have – only one in three believe the cost of their power bills would actually be worse,” Dr White said.

Australians are also bullish about the economic impact of net zero, with 30 per cent saying it would improve unemployment versus 26 per cent saying it would make it worse, although this sentiment was reversed in the coalmining powerhouse state of Queensland.

The federal Liberal Party locked in negotiations with the Nationals over what sort of commitments would need to be made to regional communities reliant on coal in order to get leader Barnaby Joyce’s support for a commitment to net zero.

Across the country, however, more people than not thought the transition to a clean economy would leave them better off – by a factor of two to one.

Thirty-five per cent of respondents said a net-zero target would improve their standard of living.

Less than half that number – just 17 per cent – said it would make it worse.

However, Australians are clearly not ready to sacrifice the economy on the altar of net zero. Almost half – 47 per cent – said Australia should continue to mine and export coal as long as there was global demand for it, compared to just 39 per cent who thought that coal exports should be banned in the near future.

“It is quite striking that Australians want to reduce to 100 per cent renewable energy for Australia’s energy, but continue to export coal to other countries,” Dr White said.

“This position sits something in the middle of the political extremes.

“Those environmentalists who want Australia to stop exporting coal, and those on the other end who want Australia to keep using nonrenewable energy sources into the future, are actually both out of step with the mainstream.”