Lots of concern
When asked if they we concerned about climate change and its impact of drought, the Great Barrier Reef and bushfires around three-quarters said yes.
Fewer deniers
At the other end of the scale there's a shrinking number of people do don't even agree the climate change is happening. The vast majority of Aussies accept that it is happening. The results are shown by which party the people vote for.
Even for parties that have non-scientific views, their supporters seem to be accepting the climate science.
Favourite power
People were asked their 3 favourite energy sources. The top 3 were all renewable resources and solar was the clear favourite.
What to do about coal?
49% say we should stop building any new coal mines or expanding any existing ones. Only 20% disagree with this view.How quickly should coal go?
About two-thirds of Aussies think we should stop using coal with 20 years. More than a third reckon it should be within 10 years.
Coal industry less important than we think
Aussies were asked how many people coal employs. Those who answered overestimated by a factor of more than 25. The jobs in coal are 25 times smaller than we think.The same goes for money. When asked how much coal contributes to Australia's GDP, people's average estimate was 10.9%. It's not even a tenth of that. The true answer is just one percent.
While the coal industry makes some noise, the reality is that it's just not worth as much as we may think.
Who should pay the bill?
59% of people support a levy on fossil fuel exports to help the community prepare and protect from the consequences of climate change. Only 19%oppose this idea.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this idea is even more popular among younger people - those expected to have to live with the consequences for longer.
Overall it's good news that Australians want to take action on climate change. Hopefully politicians can reflect this desire in their actions.
PS. You can download the full Climate of the Nation 2018.
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