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Canberra headed wrong way on climate strategy: survey
Carlos Martinez
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Only 19% of Australians are happy with the Federal Government's current climate change focus on nuclear and clean coal technologies, according to a survey by The Australia Institute, with the bulk of the public (74%) thinking a strategy based on energy efficiency and renewable power generation is the way to go.
The think tank's survey 'Greenhouse Strategies: What do Australians prefer?' found that 77% of the 1,034 respondents would prefer to get electricity from a renewable power source. In comparison, only 8% would prefer nuclear and 1% coal.

Solar and wind attract the most support, with 50% and 13% respectively, but a substantial number of people were keen on other renewable energy sources with hydro, geothermal and biomass receiving 14% collectively.

Interestingly, female respondents were more likely to prefer energy efficiency/renewable energy than men, with 80% preferring this strategy compared to 68% of men. In contrast, 26% of men prefer the government's nuclear power/clean coal strategy, compared to only 12% of women.

The Australian Institute's deputy director Andrew Macintosh said the survey showed measures to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy are popular with voters, but seen as secondary in the government's existing greenhouse strategy.

"The government has recently signaled its intention to introduce an emissions trading scheme in 2012, which could help promote energy efficiency and renewable energy. However, even if the scheme is introduced, it seems likely that the policy framework will still be weighted toward nuclear and clean coal technology," he said.

"There is a good economic case for ensuring there is greater balance in the government's greenhouse strategy, and the results of this survey suggest that such an approach is likely to attract widespread public support."

Federal research programs are also weighted heavily in favor of clean coal technologies, with four CRCs currently undertaking R&D around clean coal – the CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies; CRC for Coal in Sustainable Development; CRC for Mining; and CRC for Sustainable Resource Processing.

Combined, the clean coal-related CRCs will receive $88 million in federal funds over the current seven-year funding periods. There are no CRCs investigating renewable energy.