More than half of Australians doubtful of reaching net-zero by 2050: Poll
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More than half of those surveyed said they believe Australia is not doing enough to preserve its endangered species, oceans and rivers and native forests.
PHOTO: AFP
CANBERRA – More than half of Australians voters do not believe the country will achieve its target of net-zero emissions by 2050, a poll has found.
According to the survey, which was published by leading independent pollster Essential Research on Tuesday, 57 per cent of Australian voters said they were sceptical about achieving the government’s net-zero target.
By comparison, only 7 per cent of respondents said it was “very likely” Australia would reach the milestone by 2050 and 24 per cent said it was “quite likely”.
The poll found 38 per cent of voters saying Australia is not doing enough to combat climate change – the lowest figure charted by Essential in seven years. Some 36 per cent said Australia is doing enough to combat climate change, while 17 per cent said it is doing too much. A further 9 per cent said they didn’t know.
More than half of those surveyed said they believe Australia is not doing enough to preserve its endangered species, oceans and rivers and native forests.
Voters also showed strong support for most renewable infrastructure. About two-thirds of them are in favour of solar farms (69 per cent) and offshore wind (60 per cent). A majority of them also backed onshore wind (59 per cent) and community batteries (56 per cent). But only 35 per cent of the respondents support overground transmission.
Presented with propositions about the transition, 70 per cent of the voters said the development of renewables should not “come at the expense of local communities”.
Asked whether Australia should pursue nuclear power as an electricity source, 50 per cent of people said they were either “strongly” or “somewhat” in favour while 33 per cent were opposed.
Under current laws, the construction of nuclear power plants is banned in every Australian state or territory.
Mr Peter Dutton, leader of the federal opposition, has repeatedly called for the legislative ban on nuclear power to be removed in order to diversify Australia’s energy sources during the net-zero transition. However, Energy Minister Chris Bowen has ruled out any move to do so, citing cost concerns.
The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action in September estimated that it would cost up to A$387 billion (S$337 billion) to replace Australia’s outgoing coal-fired power stations with small modular nuclear reactors. XINHUA
