Climate Issue Wanes For Australians But Majority Still Want A Deal At Copenhagen

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2nd November 2009, 02:12pm - Views: 1210






2 November 2009


CLIMATE ISSUE WANES FOR AUSTRALIANS BUT MAJORITY STILL
WANT A DEAL AT COPENHAGEN: HSBC RESEARCH

The global financial crisis and domestic issues have overtaken climate change as a priority for Australians but

figures show resolution at Copenhagen is critical for them, according to the latest HSBC Climate Confidence

Monitor.


The third HSBC Climate Confidence Monitor, commissioned by the HSBC Climate Partnership, measures

and tracks consumer attitudes on climate change issues and surveyed 1,000 people in each of 12 markets:

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, UK, USA, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Mexico.


Concern about climate change among Australians dropped in the last year, with 22 per cent identifying it as

one of their biggest worries (36% in 2008), the largest drop among developed nations surveyed. Optimism

that climate change can be stopped also fell, from 12 per cent in 2008 to nine per cent this year, the second
highest country for optimism in the developed world but lowest in the Asia-Pacific.


Personal commitment to tackling the problem edged up to 29 per cent (26% in 2008), but is still among the

lowest of the developed world and the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. Confidence that leaders are doing

the right thing increased to 11 per cent (8% in 2008), placing Australia at the top of developed economies but

still low compared to our Asia-Pacific peers.


A clear majority (56%) of Australians believe a new global deal on emissions is critical. This sentiment was

shared globally sending a clear message to governments preparing to attend the UN climate change summit in

December to agree on a policy framework to tackle climate change. The enthusiasm for action in emerging

markets is noticeably higher than in the developed world.


Lord Nicholas Stern, adviser to HSBC on economic development and climate change said: "With just over a

month to go before Copenhagen, this is a clear call from the global population for a strong and effective deal.

Rich and developing countries must act together to create an agreement that will lay the foundations for a

future era of dynamic low-carbon growth."


HSBC's research reveals a global consensus on emission reduction targets. 79 per cent of global respondents

want to see a commitment to `meet or significantly exceed' a 50-80 per cent cut in emissions by 2050. 72 per

cent of Australians think the nation should meet or exceed the 50-80 per cent target by 2050. This demand for

commitment to reduction targets is highest in Mexico (91%), China (82%) and Hong Kong (84%) and lowest

in the UK (71%) and the US (66%).


Despite the deepening of the global recession since last year's survey was conducted, seven in 10 people

(69%) agreed that addressing climate change is at least as important, if not more important than supporting

their national economy during the downturn. Respondents were asked to prioritise public spending on

This news release is issued by Head Office:
HSBC Bank Australia Limited Level 32, 580 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Web: www.hsbc.com.au
ABN 48 006 434 162



Climate issue wanes for Australians but majority still want a deal at Copenhagen: HSBC research/2




healthcare, crime, national defence, education and supporting the national economy during the global

downturn. Half of Australians put supporting the national economy on an equal footing with tackling climate

change, 37 per cent say the economy is more important while 13 per cent think tackling climate change is

more important.


Paulo Maia, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC in Australia, said: "Australians are concerned about climate

change and it's patent they want to see a deal at the Copenhagen meeting in December that establishes a

strong and effective policy framework to tackle climate change, including a firm global commitment to

emissions reductions."


The HSBC Climate Confidence Monitor 2009 also revealed:

Emerging v Developed Markets: For the third year running, there is a stronger desire for action in

emerging markets than in the developed world. In Brazil, 86 per cent and in Mexico, 83 per cent believe

it is very important that a deal in Copenhagen is reached. Globally only two per cent of people feel a new

climate deal isn't important at all.

Climate Change v other global issues: In a year that brought media headlines of pandemic flu and

economic meltdown, a third of all respondents (34 per cent) believe climate change is one of the biggest

issues they worry about today in comparison with global economic stability, terrorism, violence,

pandemic disease, global poverty, natural disasters and social breakdown.

Personal commitment to low carbon choices: Commitment to reduce personal impact on climate change

by adapting lifestyle choices rose four percentage points from 2008 to 36 per cent this year. In particular,

France and Mexico show increases in commitment of at least 15 percentage points in the past 12 months.

The most popular steps people are taking to reduce their carbon footprint are recycling, turning off

electronic equipment and using energy-saving light bulbs. People living in India, China and France

claimed to be most active in making low-carbon lifestyle choices.


Maia said: "We look to the Copenhagen meeting to create a framework for a low carbon economy that will

allow emerging markets to continue to prosper and create attractive investment opportunities for businesses

worldwide."


Steve Howard, Chief Executive of the Climate Group commented: "This survey has shown that, as in other

countries, the vast majority of Australians think that Australia should meet or exceed the 50-80 per cent cuts

in emissions that scientists say we need. We know that these cuts in emissions are not only achievable but

also can unlock the kind of investment and job creation around the world that can help re-inflate the global

economy. Negotiators and politicians have a clear mandate to produce an ambitious deal at Copenhagen."


The Climate Confidence Monitor is part of the HSBC Climate Partnership's aim to raise awareness of climate

change issues and to facilitate action to address them. For more information on the results of the research,

visit www.hsbc.com/climateconfidencemonitor







Climate issue wanes for Australians but majority still want a deal at Copenhagen: HSBC research/3




ends/more


Media enquiries to:

Daniel Pigott (HSBC) Luke Muir (The Climate Group)
on +61 2 9006 5396 / +61 422 908 994 / on +61 3 9668 5795 / +61 433 059 905
[email protected] [email protected]




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1. HSBC Climate Partnership
The HSBC Climate Partnership is a five-year partnership between HSBC, The Climate Group, Earthwatch, Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute and WWF. The partnership aims to combat the urgent threat of climate change by inspiring
individuals, businesses and governments worldwide to tackle its impacts on people, forests, water and cities.
Achievements include:
In 2009, The Climate Group launched the Hong Kong Carbon Reduction Campaign the first cross-industry effort
promoting a low-carbon lifestyle to HSBC employees; co-founded the Mumbai Energy Alliance to implement large-
scale energy efficiency projects to reduce the city's energy costs and carbon footprint; and convened Climate Week
NYC, a high-profile platform for business, government and citizens to voice their support for a global deal in
Copenhagen.
Since the launch of the HSBC Climate Partnership, Earthwatch has opened five Regional Climate Centres where, to
date, almost 1000 HSBC Climate Champions have worked alongside leading scientists to investigate the impacts of
climate change on forests and design workplace projects that help HSBC embed sustainable business practice.
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has implemented a vast global field experiment encompassing nearly
2,000 ha of forest and 3.5 million trees. Across this area that spans 34 countries, STRI is studying the landscape at
the scale of individual trees to quantify the benefits such as carbon storage and water regulation of forests in a
changing climate.
WWF is working with the Chinese government to extend the work on the central and lower Yangtze Protected Area
network to the entire Yangtze River. This will incorporate over 150 protected areas, and the network will be used to
provide basin resilience to the impacts of climate change.


3. Background on the research
The Climate Confidence Monitor research was carried out by Lightspeed and analysed by Globescan. It was based on a 10
question online survey. A minimum of 1,000 respondents were surveyed in 12 markets: Respondents selected to be nationally
representative in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the UK and USA. Distribution in Brazil, China, Hong Kong, India,
Malaysia and Mexico is representative of the online population in those countries.


3. HSBC Bank Australia
In Australia, the HSBC Group offers an extensive range of financial services through a network of 35 branches and offices.
These services include personal and commercial financial services, financial planning, trade finance, treasury and financial
markets, payments and cash management and securities custody. Principal HSBC Group members operating in Australia
include HSBC Bank Australia Limited (ABN 48 006 434 162) and The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (ABN
65 117 925 970). HSBC is marketed worldwide as `the world's local bank'.

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