Kiwis happier with Government's response to climate change - poll
New Zealanders are more satisfied with the Governments efforts to combat climate change than they were a year ago. But fewer than half rate the effort as good, according to the latest Ipsos poll for insurer IAG. 46 per cent think the Governments actions in response to climate change are good, up from 35 per cent last year. Only one in five rated the Governments response as poor, down from 28 per cent last year an overall improvement in the Governments standing. A mere 16 per cent of people rated businesses response to climate change as good and almost half labelled it poor. Businesses ratings have barely budged during the three years the survey has been running. READ MORE: * Boris Johnson has done more for the climate than Jacinda Ardern * Kiwis back electric vehicle subsidies but the devil's in the detail * Climate change toll from two droughts tops $800m The proportion of people who agree climate change is important to them personally remained steady at eight in ten people, with fewer than one in ten disagreeing the same as last year. Intriguingly, only seven in ten thought climate change was important to the average person. About seven in ten people said theyd grown more concerned over the last few years, a similar proportion to last year. KEY TO COVID RECOVERY This years poll covered Covid-19 for the first time. Seven out of ten people said climate change should be part of the economic recovery from Covid although only two in ten thought it should be at the forefront. The other five in ten thought climate change should be part of the recovery, without being at the forefront. Many respondents thought Covid would slow climate efforts, though a minority thought the virus would help. The survey of 1,000 people was done between 18 and 24 June. GOOD UNDERSTANDING The poll shows New Zealanders have a high level of climate literacy, said Victoria University climate scientist Dave Frame. More than eight out of ten people correctly identified that climate change would lead to more frequent and extreme floods, wildfires, droughts, storms, water shortages, heat waves and flooding of coastal locations from sea level rise. Compared to last year, there were really high numbers of people who understand the links between climate change and extreme events, with droughts particularly front of mind, said Frame, who is researching how much climate change is worsening extreme events. It's powerful evidence that a large majority of people in New Zealand can see how climate change is manifesting itself in our lives, even at 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels (the current level of heating), he said. There's also a huge consensus - 17 people in every 20 - that climate change should be part of the Covid recovery plan. That shows a strong appreciation of the opportunities, rather than just a defensive focus on threats, something that fits with the increase in the number of people seeing climate change as an opportunity, said Frame. COSTS AND OPPORTUNITIES More than half of those surveyed thought new jobs and businesses would come out of climate change, but seven in ten thought some jobs would disappear. Seven in ten thought New Zealand need to rethink land use. While there was strong support for the need to help people who were negatively affected by climate change, responses to specific proposals were mixed. The poll found strong majority support for Government investment in climate-related science, and spending on infrastructure to lessen climate impacts. But respondents were split down the middle on the question of bailing out property owners badly affected by climate impacts. Just under half said they supported the Government buying property from owners whose land was severely affected, with a similar proportion supporting the Government stepping in to offer insurance when private insurers withdrew from risky locations. Fewer than a third wanted to see rates or taxes rise to respond to climate change. A growing number 65 per cent, up from 60 per cent last year agreed local councils should only consent developments and buildings that reduce or avoid the impact of climate change. But just 41 per cent expect they will personally have to accept more stringent rules about where and how they live. There's a steady rise in the number of people recognising that climate change will involve difficult trade-offs, said Frame. I think that's significant and important, because having a clear-eyed view of the scale and nature of the problem is really important. EXTREME EVENTS IAG, which commissioned the survey, said that, since the 2019 poll, South Canterbury had suffered the second-most-costly weather event of the 21st Century, the Timaru hailstorm, which cost more than $130 million in insurance claims. IAG alone dealt with more than 12,500 claims as a result of the storm, it said. New Zealand skies turned red and brown during the Australian bushfires, which burnt through an estimated 186,000 square kilometres, destroying 5,900 buildings, killing a billion animals and 34 people, and costing an estimated five billion New Zealand dollars, said IAG. Since the poll, Northland has suffered a 1 in 500-year rainstorm which has resulted in more than 1,000 claims so far for IAG alone. The poll showed people expected to feel climate impacts personally. Six in ten respondents thought they would be personally affected by the impacts of climate change. Interestingly, 31 percent were more concerned by the impact of climate change on them, than about their impact on climate change. WHOS RESPONSIBLE? Yet only 45 per cent thought New Zealands response was on the right track. Just four in ten thought the country would be able to meet its emissions targets (an improvement on 33 per cent last year). People were most likely to put the primary responsibility for taking action on central government, rather than local government, business or individuals. However, there was strong support for all these groups taking action. Most people did not think New Zealand was moving fast enough. But Frame pointed out theres been a jump in the number of people who think New Zealands response to climate change is improving. It would be good to know if this confidence is based on responses at the local level, where the issue has been high on council agendas, or on signals from central government, he said.