• New Brunswickers want leaders to act now on climate protection

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    MEDIA RELEASE


    FREDERICTON — A new poll shows New Brunswickers want their government leaders to act now to protect the climate.

    Polling determined an overwhelming majority of New Brunswickers — a margin of nearly 8 to 1 — believe we should be global leaders in protecting the climate by reducing our energy consumption.

    The national telephone poll was conducted in the last half of March, just weeks before several Canadian premiers, including New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant, are gathering in Quebec City for a special meeting on climate change.

    The poll also shows New Brunswickers don’t buy into the idea that just because a jurisdiction is small it doesn’t have to take as much action to curb climate change. A majority of New Brunswickers rejected the notion that Canada’s efforts on climate change should be minimal given our country’s total emissions as compared to other polluters such as the U.S. or China.

    Instead, New Brunswickers want swift action on climate protection from their leaders. Polling shows 73.3 per cent of people from the province want to see a plan for creating jobs in the renewable energy sector, with 70.2 per cent calling for a promise to legally enforce a cap or limits to carbon pollution. Nearly 70 per cent of New Brunswickers want a commitment to phase out coal, oil and gas and replace them with renewable energy sources.

    The national random sample telephone poll involved participation from 3,040 Canadians and was conducted for Climate Action Network Canada by Oracle Research Limited between March 12 to 30. The margin of error for the total 3040-person survey is +/- 1.78%, 19/20 times. See full results here.

    Other results related to New Brunswick:

    • 78.7 per cent of New Brunswickers see curbing climate change as a moral issue, saying they believe they are morally obligated to reduce carbon pollution in their daily lives;

    • 63.5 per cent of New Brunswickers disagree with the notion that cheap and accessible energy are more important than the negative impacts they have on the environment;

    • 80 per cent of New Brunswickers want a say in decision-making around energy projects.
 © 2018 NBEN / RENB