EXTREME WEATHER IS CHANGING CANADIANS’ VIEWS ON THE CLIMATE CRISIS

As extreme weather events are increasingly experienced across the country, worry about the climate crisis grows, according to public opinion polls. In a new report that summarizes nationwide polling about climate change positions, from as many as 60 publicly-available surveys, analysts show that the rising concern is related to perceptions about weather events and that Canadians have a conflicted vision of our climate future. The findings of an Abacus 2021 poll show that 78 per cent of Canadians were “very or extremely concerned about the impact of extreme weather conditions.” (Climate Access/ Climate Narratives Initiative) Canadians are better understanding climate change through direct experience with a flood, drought, or fire, and with stories about extreme weather. According to the report, “Climate impacts are mounting in public perception and although climate change remains a psychologically ‘distant’ problem, the sense of proximity is becoming more immediate.” (Climate Access/ Climate Narratives Initiative) The Environics 2021 poll also found 52 per cent of those Canadians surveyed felt severe weather events are drawing their attention to the climate crisis; 63 per cent felt wildfires are making them feel that “climate change is a more urgent issue” in the Abacus 2021 survey; and 49 per cent felt more concern about the consequences of a warming world in the present day than they did in the past because of “recent extreme weather events” in the Ipsos 2021 survey. Relatedly, “within the past 7 months, 1.5 million Canadians have been convinced that climate change is having a direct impact on their health,” according to David Coletto of Abacus Data.