We fear our future ...but not enough to quit using cars
Only 7% willing to give up vehicles 86% affected by crisis..or will be Young and old, Tory & Labour split
MOST of us believe climate change is a major crisis that should be classed as an emergency, but only 7% would give up their car to help tackle it.
A Deltapoll survey for the Mirror’s special edition shows concern about global warming is shared by voters across all parties, in all regions.
Some 60% say we are already suffering the effects of climate change and 67% fear its future impact.
There is also strong support for action against the biggest contributors to CO2 emissions but only 7% of us are prepared to give up our car.
Overall, 42% said the crisis should be classified as an emergency, with 32% saying it is an important issue but not yet critical. Only 2% said climate change is a hoax.
While 47% were fairly worried about the effects of global warming, 22% were very worried. The overwhelming majority, 86%, said they are either already affected by the crisis or expect to be. And 54% believe this will mean more severe weather, while 47% expect more wildlife and habitat loss.
Some 28% think more places will become uninhabitable because of rising temperatures, 23% expect more forest fires and 21% say there will be shortages of food and water.
At the more severe end, 13% believe climate change will lead to mass migration, 10% fear humans becoming extinct and 8% expect an increase in wars and civil unrest.
There are mixed opinions on the main causes, with 49% blaming deforestation, 35% the rising global population, 27% emerging economies, 24% big business and oil giants, and 24% activity such as flying and heating.
There is strong public support for action to prevent further CO2 emissions. Around 75% agree or strongly agree owners of larger cars should pay more road tax, with only 19% opposed.
On flying, 44% strongly agree or somewhat agree with a cap on the number of flights you can take per year.
There is widespread backing for fining firms for failing to reduce the amount of plastic they use, with 44% strongly and 38% somewhat in favour.
And with the climate crisis rising up the political agenda, the findings will make difficult reading for the Tory government. Nearly half of those surveyed (47%) said the Government is not doing enough, with 29% saying it devotes the right amount of time and only 9% too much time.
Tory and Leave voters are the least worried about climate change, and Labour voters – whether Leave or Remain – are more concerned.
Some 49% of Labour voters say climate change should be classed as an emergency against 33% of Tories.
And there is a major split between young and old, as 61% of 18 to 24-year-olds say climate change is an emergency compared with 38% of over-65s.
But most people already accept they are going to have to make “significant changes” to behaviour. In the next five of those polled fear that human beings could be facing extinction believe the crisis will bring more severe weather and flooding want a cap on the number of plane flights we can take per year
Flooding in Doncaster
years, 42% expect to walk more, 59% will recycle more, 51% will generate less waste and 35% will use less gas and electricity to heat their homes. Changing lifestyles will also result in 23% using public transport more, 22% buying fewer clothes and 18% flying less often. Some 25% would eat less red meat but only 6% will quit meat fish altogether. The survey will also give campaigners food for thought, as there was almost no sympathy for the Extinction Rebellion blame deforestation as the main cause of climate change
protesters who caused disruption in London last month. Of those polled, 57% were opposed to the group’s campaign of civil disobedience and only 5% were strongly in favour.
Similarly, only 10% strongly support kids taking time off school to join the climate crisis strike, with 21% giving lukewarm backing and 60% opposed.
Mel Evans, Greenpeace UK’s senior climate campaigner, said: “Scientists, CEOs, politicians, the wider public... there’s strong agreement right across the board that we’re living through an emergency. Its impacts are already unfolding all around us, from the were opposed to Extinction Rebellion’s civil disobedience
Borneo deforestation
flooded homes in the North of England to the burning homes on Australia’s east coast. It’s only going to get worse unless we take action.
“Our political and business leaders need to stop acting like train drivers who have seen the tree on the tracks, agree with each other that there’s a tree on the tracks but want to sit down and have a long debate about whether to pull the brake.
“This is why we don’t need more warm words in election manifestos. We need concrete, detailed plans.”
Shadow Environment Secretary Sue Hayman added: “More and more
Protest disrupts London people are realising that we’re running out of time. The Conservatives not only fail to grasp the urgency and scale of the crisis but have made it far worse through cuts to frontline environmental services and a chronic lack of investment in green infrastructure.
“Labour will usher in a Green Industrial Revolution to invest in green jobs, properly invest in environmental protection and legislate to reverse species and habitat decline.” ■ Deltapoll quizzed 3,018 people between Oct 31 and Nov 9.