More concerned than ever about climate change, Quebecers feel that their government is not doing enough to protect the environment. They also believe that companies absolutely must take more responsibility, according to what emerges from a new CROP survey.
No less than 77% of respondents “agree” that “the government is really not doing enough for the environment”, according to the results obtained within the framework of this survey carried out in preparation for the International Summit. of eco-citizenship, which will be held in Montreal next week. The event organizers forwarded the survey to Duty.
With regard to responsibility, 84% of respondents attribute a high “level of responsibility” to the governments of Quebec and Canada in the fight against global warming. This rate reaches 80% for municipalities and 78% for citizens.
Citizens understand that part of the solution is in their hands, but they also know that there is a limit to what they can do. That’s why they demand more from governments.
No less than 74% of the 1,000 respondents also believe that “it is imperative that companies take more responsibility for their role as good corporate citizens”, particularly with regard to the “pollution” they generate. And barely 25% of respondents believe that “it is acceptable that certain people or companies can pollute more if they pay to compensate”, for example through the Carbon Exchange.
Concrete measures
“People know that they have a role to play from an individual point of view, but we know full well that governments and companies have a role, particularly in the decisions that influence our consumption patterns”, explains Dominic Bourdages, vice-president at CROP. According to him, the results of the survey are clear: “We believe that governments and large companies must take responsibility first. »
These results do not surprise Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud, assistant professor in the Marketing Department of the Faculty of Business Administration at Laval University. “Citizens understand that part of the solution is in their hands, but they also know that there is a limit to what they can do. That’s why they demand more from governments, ”underlines the co-editor of the Climate Action Barometer, referring to the fiscal or regulatory measures that can be imposed by governments.
This report also highlights strong support for certain concrete measures, such as the improvement of active and public transportation infrastructures, but also free transportation for the latter. In terms of adaptation, greening, investments in the health network, home renovations and “access to mental health professionals for people suffering from eco-anxiety or having suffered the impacts of climate change” garner significant support.
Worry
This call for stronger action on the part of public decision-makers and the private sector seems quite natural in the light of the results of the CROP survey, according to Dominic Bourdages. No less than 85% of respondents “agree” with the idea that “our consumption and our way of life contribute to destroying everything on the planet”.
“Awareness has grown over the years. We know more and more that the way we consume is not sustainable. People are aware of this,” says Mr. Bourdages.
The most recent edition of the Climate Action Barometer also concludes that “concern about the climate crisis has never been so strong,” says Valériane Champagne St-Arnaud. No less than 86% of the population actually believes that there is an “urgent need to act” in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but also adaptation.
In Quebec, optimism about the future still drives the majority of the population (69%), according to this report produced annually by the research group on climate marketing communication at Laval University. But it is also accompanied by strong feelings of helplessness (62%), sadness (54%), fear (48%) and anger (42%).
More and more citizens are also feeling “personally affected” by the impacts of the climate crisis and they want to act, argues Mr. Bourdages. The CROP poll, carried out in April, found that 70% are already taking action, but also that 55% believe that they could “do a little more”.
The actions they say they are already taking are, for the most part, recycling, composting and reducing car use. The Climate Action Barometer, for its part, shows that “some changes are more difficult to make”, including the transformation of the diet and the reduction of the consumption of animal products.