UK public signals continuous strong support for green measures
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
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Business and political leaders committed to pressing ahead with carbon reduction measures received a boost today in the form of a new poll suggesting public support for green policies and products remains strong.
The Guardian/ICM poll found that despite widespread speculation that economic concerns are undermining the public appetite for environmental measures, the majority support the idea that tackling climate change should take priority over addressing the economic downturn.
When asked where the government’s priorities should lie, 52 per cent of the 1,002 respondents said the environment, while only 44 per cent said the economy.
More than 60 per cent said they would also support new green taxes, compared with only 35 per cent who were firmly against them – a fact likely to be welcomed by chancellor Alistair Darling who today faced fresh protest from hauliers over fuel duty and calls from the Conservatives to scrap changes to road tax designed to hit owners of older, high-emission vehicles. Read more
Source: Business Green
Government priorities: 52% say environment; 44% say economy.
What is more meaningful and significant than those numbers is the fact that the pollsters seem to be making a very rigid distinction between “environment” and “economy” as if the inextricable links between these two has not been long established and accepted as a fundamental principle of the whole idea of sustainability (for 15+ years).