Even a push poll done for the National Post by Ipsos Reid, which included such obviously biased questions as "...would [you] support Kyoto if it resulted in 200,000 job cuts and $16 billion in economic losses?" came up with the following:
"...39 per cent of Canadians don't support the science behind global warming, the poll found. They believe melting ice flows, hot summers, and extreme weather events around the world are the result of natural warming and cooling patterns that rise and fall. On the other hand, 61 per cent believe man-made gasses are heating up the earth."
What's interesting is there is no info in the National Post story concerning responses to questions like "Do you support the Kyoto accord?" asked au naturelle. I wonder if that number is being suppressed. There is also no regional breakdown given. I suspect that out in Alberta they're clutching their oil rigs, with cotton-baton stuck in their ears so as not to hear too many inconvenient facts.
A companion poll, also appearing in the Post on-line today shows that 52% of Canadian Business leaders:
"...support the Asia Pacific Partnership, which has voluntary emissions targets aimed at controlling global warming, while 24% of those surveyed said they support Kyoto."
As per usual, the nation can't count on its entrepreneurs to do the right thing.
I guess the Liberal leadership candidates will all now come out in support of a carbon tax on fossil fuel consumption? A position the Chretien/Martin gang studiously avoided, no doubt after doing their own polling.
ReplyDeletePeople will often support feel good propositions in the abstract if they don't see or think there will be a direct negative impact on them personally. Did the poll ask whether they would be willing to pay European gasoline prices (roughly double ours) if that would help meet Kyoto targets? That's the poll question I would like to see.
And I'd like to see a question like, "Would you like to see the Coasts under six feet of water?" but that one didn't make the cut either.
ReplyDeletePresumably, if they support Kyoto they have already bought into some of the fear mongering you have so kindy reflected. The true test remains whether and to what extent Canadians are willing to personally sacrifice their standard of living. The Europeans seem willing to pay that price with much higher energy prices, surely Canadian liberals are prepared to do the same? Once again I ask, why wont your leadership be honest and propose a carbon tax, surely it's worth it to save Halifax and Vancouver?
ReplyDeleteSurely, anon, it is up to the government in power to propose solutions. The Libs, when they were in, did not do alot it is true, but they did put in place some highly useful programs like Energuide. Now the Tory government, though it has had years in opposition to think of alternatives, cut this program and others and is, apparently, still trying to whomp up something to replace them with. So far the only thing I've heard about is a welfare for farmers package in the form of an ethanol requirement.
ReplyDeleteSo, whether a carbon tax is needed or not is a debatable issue. What is not debatable is that its up to your boys, who claim to believe the science, to take responsibility. This they have not done.
from the same poll . . .
ReplyDeleteNearly 89 per cent of Canadians have heard about the Kyoto accord, but 68 per cent say they don't know any of the details"
but they support it anyway ??
Ya right.
I love how a clear majority of Albertans supported Kyoto (whether they understood it or not is another story) but then Ralph Klein spent a few million bucks on commercials and a few months later, most Albertans rejected Kyoto.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly we have a 'made-in-Alberta' solution but I can guarantee you that even less people could tell you about it than Kyoto. At least with Kyoto there was some history and publicity that gave people something to talk about and hold over their MPs heads. There is nothing at all to talk about in Alberta and I couldn't see Harper coming up with much more.
And heaven forbid we should have to pay more for gas! We might actually be able to get the car companies to come up with something better than their ridiculous '20 cents off gas' promotion.
Conservatives (entrepreneurs or others) were best summed up by the recently deceased economist John Kenneth Galbraith:
ReplyDeleteThe modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
and socialists, and their chardonay cousin Liberals believe they are smarter than anyone else and should be allowed to determine how everyone spends whatever money they have left after the socialists and the lieberals have taken from them in excessive taxes.
ReplyDeleteBush's new US Treasury Secretary nominee is a backer of Kyoto. Apparently, despite all the compelling arguments involving "socialists," "chardonay (sic) cousin" and "lieberals", from the connie toddlers, the tide seems to be turning.
ReplyDeleteHarpor's Made in Canada shell game is likely an election policy that he'll unveil as he drops the writ, expecting the lap-dog media to eat it up with 10 second sound bytes that the public will suck on. His plan is like Bush's, deny deny deny until the term limit is up.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, our planet is now on a term limit from our own consumptive need to have everything, now.