Most Canadians want the government to prioritize clean energy over oil and gas

With Prime Minister Mark Carney pledging to develop all forms of energy, both clean and conventional, two-thirds of Canadians want the federal government to prioritize clean, and three-quarters want Canadian climate policy aligned with Europe rather than the United States, according to new public opinion data released this week by Clean Energy Canada.

The research by Abacus Data found that, assuming both were priorities, 67% of Canadians “would generally favour clean energy projects such as critical minerals, renewable power and transmission, and energy storage,” Clean Energy Canada explains. “The remaining 33% would prefer conventional fossil fuel projects like oil and gas, including [liquefied natural gas] development.”

Among the 2,585 Canadians who took place in an online panel between June 2 and 5, 87% said clean energy will be “very” or “pretty” important, and 83% said the same of fossil fuels. Some 45% said clean energy would be “very” important, compared to 36% for fossil fuels.

The research uncovered overwhelming support—a margin of 76 to 24%—for shifting Canadian climate policy to align more with Europe, rather than the United States. And “as Canadians face another summer of wildfires, support for continued climate action remains extremely strong, with only 14% of Canadians saying the federal government should do less to combat climate change and transition the country to clean energy,” Clean Energy Canada writes.

But while a large plurality of respondents, 44%, wanted Canada to do more on climate, 41% said governments are doing about the right amount. The European Union is currently far ahead of Canada in its efforts to drive down climate pollution and shift to renewable energy technologies, and analysts have pointed out that Canada would be by far the biggest per capita emitter in any new trade relationship with the EU.

The Abacus research also found that Canadians support building new homes with lower-carbon, sustainable materials by a margin of 64 to 15%, while 70% definitely or likely want to see EV hookups and heat pumps in new homes as long as the cost is minimal.

“It’s easy to wonder whether views on important issues have shifted as Trump, tariffs, and national security dominate headlines and the worried minds of Canadians,” Clean Energy Canada Director of Communications Trevor Melanson said in an online statement. “And yet the consensus on climate action and the transition to clean energy remains overwhelmingly positive. What’s more, as Canada forges stronger trade relationships with the likes of Europe and Asia, we may see a growing economic and values alignment with jurisdictions that are all-in on clean energy.”

This article was first published in The Energy Mix. Read the original article here. 

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