A new poll by Abacus Data has found that nearly a third of Canadians say they're not convinced that climate change is being caused by human and industrial activity.
The poll was commissioned by Canada's Ecofiscal Commission, a group of economists that advocate for practical ways to fight climate change, and examines Canadian attitudes on climate change and the policy responses offered by governments, with an emphasis on examining attitudes toward a carbon tax as a possible solution.
The survey found that while most Canadians believe climate change is real, their faith in the ability of science to shine a light on the issue is not uniform across the population. Only 28% of those polled said the evidence for human-caused climate change is conclusive, with another 33% describing the evidence as 'solid'.
But from there the numbers start to slide — with 27% saying there is some evidence, but it's not conclusive. The last 11% claimed there is little to no evidence to suggest human-caused climate change is real. Asked what could be causing climate change, 70% of those surveyed cited human activity — while the remaining third pointed the finger at "natural patterns in the Earth's environment."
When it comes to taking action to combat climate change, the number of people who said they want government to focus less on policy to reduce emissions has doubled from 8% in 2015 to 16% in 2018. That shift in attitudes is also apparent in the drop in the percentage of Canadians who want more of a government emphasis on reducing emissions — from 69% in 2015 to 60% today.
Broken down regionally, the highest support for more action on climate change came from the Atlantic provinces at 69%, followed closely by Quebec at 66% and B.C. at 65%.
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