Survey Says: Home Solar An Important Emissions Reduction Action

A recent survey indicates home solar power is considered an important or very important emissions reduction action by the majority of Australians.

Taking the Pulse of the Nation (TTPN), a Melbourne Institute and Roy Morgan partnership, captures Australians’ sentiments and behaviours in relation to current economic and social issues.

Conducted monthly, the latest findings from TPPN indicate:

“While most Australians are committed to minimising their impact on climate change by actively cutting their energy use and installing solar panels, they feel let down by previous governments’ commitment to actively acting towards minimising the country’s impact on the environment.”

72% of Australians believe the Federal Government has historically done too little to address climate change. 28.4% said the Government had done “about the right amount” and just 12.4% “too much”.  The difference in the latter between genders was significant – 8.55% of males and just 3.89% of females held this view.

Taking Action – Solar Panels Rank Second

In terms of actions at the individual level, the following indicates what were considered “important” or “very important” in addressing climate change:

• Reducing energy use and bills: 85.37%
• Installing solar panels: 68.36%
• Choosing green investment: 44.78%
• Purchasing an electric vehicle: 44.58%
• Using public transport more: 43.38%
• Contacting local government: 34.73%
• Eating less meat and dairy: 33.03%
• Cutting back on flying: 31.34%

In relation to installing solar panels, 51% of those surveyed indicated they have already or will soon. Just 11% of those who don’t have panels said they do not plan to install them in the future. This indicates Australia can look forward to a shedload of new residential rooftop solar installations in the years ahead; building on the 3 million plus systems installed to date.

The installation of rooftop solar also feeds into the most popular action – reducing mains grid electricity use and slashing power bills.

Beyond energy use in the home, it was encouraging to see acknowledgement of the important role electric vehicles have in the scheme of things. Once pricing and supply issues are sorted, there will be plenty of takers.

Local Government Underrated

The result for contacting local government was interesting given many local governments have been leaders in uptake and promotion of renewables (particularly rooftop solar power) and addressing/raising awareness of climate change.

112 jurisdictions representing close to 11.2 million Australians – over 44% of our population – have declared a climate emergency. And those declarations aren’t just stating the obvious and pointing a finger at the Feds to act – they are generally accompanied by commitments to action at a local level too. Local government probably deserves a bit more credit.

Commenting on this result, the analysis stated:

“Local governments have an important role to play in motivating communities to effectively respond to climate change, but trust needs to be regained following the perceived inaction of former governments.”

The TTPN analysis is based on a sample of 1,005 survey respondents in the June 2022 survey. Further detail can be viewed here.

It’s worth noting this survey was taken before the very unsettling 2021 State of the Environment Report was finally released. The report was delivered to the Morrison Government last year but hidden from the Australian public until this week. When presenting the report, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek mentioned trust – the lack of it among Australians in relation to government handling of environmental issues – eight times.

Original Source: https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/solar-emissions-survey-mb2564/