Climate action barometer 2021 | Quebecers severely judge governments

Faced with climate change, Quebecers are increasingly convinced that collective actions are more effective than individual actions. But there is a catch. The population also believes that governments are still very far from taking the necessary actions to fight against global warming. Close-up on the most recent Climate Action Barometer unveiled on Wednesday.

Eric-Pierre Champagne
Press

Concerns in sharp decline

From 2020 to 2021, the level of concern of Quebecers for environmental issues fell significantly: 61% of the population said they were concerned “about environmental problems in general”, against 79% a year earlier. The decline is even more marked when it comes to the importance given to the image that everyone projects about the actions taken on a daily basis in the face of climate change. In 2020, 71% of Quebecers said they were “concerned” about their image in this regard, while the proportion rose to 52% a year later. According to Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud, professor of marketing at Laval University and co-author of the Climate Action Barometer, the COVID-19 pandemic is the most plausible explanation for this decline. “Quebeckers are exhausted, they are at their wit’s end, as the investigation by the D^D Melissa Generous [au sujet des répercussions de la pandémie sur la santé mentale de la population]. ”

Confidence in governments at its lowest

The public is increasingly critical of the various levels of government. Only 7% of Quebecers believe that the federal government is doing enough to deal with the climate crisis. The Quebec government does little better, at 11%, while cities are judged a little less harshly, at 14%. In all three cases, the numbers for 2021 represent setbacks of at least 15 percentage points from 2020. These data are in a way a reflection of a collective realization that individual solutions are not enough. . “The population recognizes the problem, rejects the status quo and now demands serious action to counter climate change,” said Alain Branchaud, general manager of the Société pour la nature et des parcs, Quebec section. “This is great news that prepares us for the next step in accepting the profound changes that need to be made in our way of life. ”

Individual responsibility has its limits

If government action is highly criticized by the public, it is among other things because consistency is not always there, believes the D^D Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, family doctor and president of the Quebec Association of Physicians for the Environment. “When it comes to climate change, contradictions like buying a pipeline [au fédéral] or the third link project [au provincial] undermine other government actions, and the test of credibility requires consistency, ”she explains. The D^D Pétrin-Desrosiers is nevertheless pleased to note that more and more Quebecers believe that it is necessary to act collectively to face climate change. In fact, the proportion of those who believe that collective actions are required rose from 57% in 2020 to 70% in 2021. “The weight of the transition must not rest only on individuals; governments have a great responsibility, ”adds the young doctor. “The population is more and more demanding of public authorities,” confirms Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud.

The range of measures also has its limits

Despite this awareness, not all measures that can be deployed receive the same support. For example, 62% of the population say they are in favor of additional fees being imposed when purchasing plane tickets in order to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Almost one in two people (48%) support a similar measure for the delivery of online purchases. And only 33% of Quebecers are in favor of a sum that would be billed to them for the use of the road network. “We can see that when it affects people more directly, we feel resistance to change,” analyzes Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud.