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The vast majority of Canadians, in all provinces, believe climate change is real, according to a new research.
Scientists from the University of Montreal, University of California Santa Barbara, Utah State University and Yale University have just released a new interactive tool to visualize, with unprecedented detail, the geographic distribution of climate opinions across Canada. It allows users to download the underlying estimates of public opinion for each province and riding in Canada. This new tool, presented in the form of maps, is available in English and in French.
The Canadian Climate Opinion Maps (CCOM) was created using a statistical model based on over 5,000 responses to national surveys from 2011-2015. It reveals that, nationally, 79% of Canadians believe that Earth is getting warmer, but the new public opinion maps show distinct differences among provinces and ridings. Moreover, about 67% of adults believe the Earth is warming in Alberta, for example, whereas 85% believe this in Quebec. Within federal electoral districts, percentages vary from 56% in the Souris-Moose Mountain riding in Saskatchewan, to 91% in the riding of Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“Our research shows that across the country, a majority of Canadians are aware of the problem of rising global temperature on Earth, and many believe humans are directly contributing to this warming. This is true across Canadian regions and across the urban-rural divide as well”, said one of the project’s lead researchers, University of Montreal Professor Erick Lachapelle.
In terms of possible solutions for fighting climate change, the idea of implementing an emissions trading system enjoys popular support (66%) across the country. Meanwhile, a carbon tax is less popular nationally (49%), with support for more carbon taxes also being much more variable across ridings.
“Given the importance of public beliefs and perceptions about climate change for mitigation and adaptation planning, we wanted to provide this tool to the public to help foster awareness and dialogue on this crucial issue,” explained University of California Santa Barbara Assistant Professor and lead author Matto Mildenberger. “Hopefully, this strong public support will be reflected in ambitious decision making in the coming months,” he said.
“Thanks to this tool, we are able for the first time in Canada to visualize the geographic diversity of opinions across this vast country, at an unprecedented level of granularity,” added Lachapelle. “We always knew opinions varied across Canadian provinces. Now we see that urban-rural differences are just as important, if not more important, features of Canadian public opinion on climate change” he said
“Of course, opinions and policy preferences are not uniform across the country. So this tool illustrates not only where climate policy support is concentrated, but perhaps more importantly, it depicts where enhanced outreach and engagement efforts are required to bring the public on side with what needs to happen” concluded Lachapelle.
Though high-resolution data sets for climate change risks are readily available, data on public opinion at the local level is almost non-existent. This new data set allows novel insight into public perceptions at scales much closer to where actual decisions, outreach and planning take place. This will be an important resource for decision-makers, planners, practitioners, academics, and engaged citizens.
About the tool:
Users can explore the maps and data by clicking on your province or riding, and compare results across questions and with other geographic areas. They should keep in mind that the uncertainty of the estimates increase as they refine their search to closer geographic scales.
All estimates are derived from a geographic and statistical model validated in the United States and applied to national survey data collected in Canada since 2011 (>5000 survey responses). These data were used to estimate differences in opinion between geographic and demographic groups based on data from Statistics Canada. The results account for change over time. The result is a high-resolution data set of estimated opinion at the national, provincial and riding scales for the year 2015. The accuracy of the estimates are approximately +/- 6 percentage points for provincial-level estimates and +/- 7 percentage points for estimates at the riding level (at a 95% level of confidence).
Agencies/Canadajournal/Press Releases
One fact is that we are going to be using oil products for a long while to come. Gasoline, diesel, plastic, all oil products. The question to ask is who do we want to support in using this oil. Do we support Canada and use our own product? Or do we support murderous regimes in the middle east? That have no regard for the rights of women? That are constantly at war to control the oil we buy? The blood oil. The decision is ours to make. Eastern Canada seems to want blood oil. It is addicted to it. Ask yourself why?
since when did nature care what man believed ?
Good luck with the outreach to educate the average ‘human’ (in this case Canadian human) which when I look around me has all the traits needed for SHORT-term survival in a jungle environment and precious little more (in just TOO MANY cases). At 54 I have come to know that humans CHOOSE to BELIEVE ONLY what supports their OWN PERSONAL game plan (self-interest) — in the SHORT TERM. It is a FACT that democracy has its downside when the horde is motivated almost purely by self-interest. Harper understood this, but batted for the bad guys. Its probably TOO LATE to be ‘civilized’ and ‘nice’ and ‘democratic’ about implementing solutions to deal with human caused climate change. A good start is to shut down right-wing radio which acts as an amplifier for the selfist thoughts of the simpletons on the political ‘right’. Oh, don’t get me wrong — there are as many on the left today (self-interested simpletons) that have been corrupted by money (read Chris Hedges, Death of the Liberal Class) and bare as much responsibility for our climate change predicament. But its time to go after mass media that tells LIES, and take them to task — start with the right wing radio and make an example of them. FOR THE SPECIES and the PLANET.