CANBERRA — An overwhelming majority of Australians believe that renewables should be the nation’s No. 1 source of energy, according to a report by The Climate Institute published recently.
In releasing the Climate of the Nation 2017 report, The Climate Institute’s acting CEO Olivia Kember said of the 2,660 people surveyed for the report, 96 percent said Australia’s energy should come primarily from renewables, while 71 percent were concerned by the effects climate change was having on things, such as the nation’s food supply and the Great Barrier Reef.
“Ninety-six percent of Australians want our nation’s primary energy to come from renewables, with 58 percent wanting it supported by storage technologies and 38 percent by fossil fuels,” Kember said.
“Australians recognise, to the tune of three-quarters of the population, that the shift to clean energy presents a golden opportunity for economic development, investment and jobs.”
Kember said the survey showed discontent with the way government was tackling the climate change issue, with almost half of respondents saying it was doing a “poor or terrible” job.
“People see through the divisive politics, they want bipartisan action and clean solutions,” she said on Tuesday.
“Almost two thirds think Australia can and should be a world leader in this area, but they don’t see our leaders delivering, and so they are getting more and more fed up with argument instead of action on this issue.”
Also according to the report, 55 percent of Aussies blame privatization in the energy sector as the major reason for high electricity prices, while just over a third (34 percent) said excessive gas exports were to blame for similar price hikes in natural gas. Forty-four percent said those issues were due to government uncertainty and poor policy-making. (Xinhua)