86% of Québecers Worried About Climate Change Impacts; 75% Want the Government to Do More About It

MONTRÉAL (January 30, 2024) — Deep Sky, a Montréal-based gigaton-scale carbon removal project developer, commissioned a public opinion survey conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights that polled 1,202 Québec residents on climate change. In Canada’s first-ever public poll on carbon removal technologies, the findings show overwhelming concern about climate change impacts, support for stronger government action, and a desire to see Canada lead in carbon removal solutions to address the climate emergency.

There is a growing sense of urgency in addressing climate change among Québecers. In fact, 67% are more worried about it than they were a year ago, with one of the biggest concerns being the impact on the planet for the next generation (86%). Global concerns include fires, floods, and natural disasters (86%); food shortages (82%); wars and climate refugees (80%), while individual concerns include rising insurance rates (81%) and negative health impacts (82%). Most Québecers (83%) agree that climate change poses a real threat to the planet.

When it comes to solutions, three quarters (75%) of respondents believe the Québec government should be doing more than they are to fight climate change. More specifically, 70% want Canada to use carbon removal to fight climate change, with 70% believing that carbon removal can play a big role in Canada meeting its targets to reduce carbon emissions. On the world stage, 60% feel Québec can be a world leader in fighting climate change, but only 35% feel it already is. More than half of respondents (65%) believe that countries that lead the way in fighting climate change will benefit economically, with 67% believing that developing carbon capture would create new jobs in Canada.

Leadership on climate change extends beyond government and requires more from businesses and energy companies. For example, 75% want the Québec provincial government and 79% want the Canadian federal government to do more. Outside of government, many think that individuals and the private sector must do more.
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• 83% businesses
• 70% banks and financial institutions
• 81% energy companies
• 71% regular people

Support for making investments in carbon removal technology cuts across all partisan lines provincially. The findings show 76% overall support from all parties, which includes 82% among CAQ voters, 88% among PQ voters, 82% among QS voters, and 71% among PLQ voters.

“Québecers have spoken, and their wishes are clear,” said Damien Steel, Deep Sky CEO. “They want to see the province, and Canada more broadly, take a leadership role in combating the climate emergency. These findings demonstrate clear support for decarbonization and an opportunity to put Canada on the global stage as the carbon removal capital of the world.”

Methodology

Findings come from an online survey of a randomly-selected sample of 1,202 adult (18+) Québecers, fielded by Pollara Strategic Insights between November 9-19, 2023. The survey was fielded in French and English. Data has been weighted using the most current language, gender, age, & region Census data, to ensure the sample reflects the actual population of adult Québecers.

‍About Deep Sky

‍Montreal-based Deep Sky is the world’s first gigaton-scale carbon removal company, removing billions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground. As a project developer, Deep Sky brings together the most promising direct air and ocean carbon capture companies under one roof to bring the largest supply of high quality carbon credits to the market and commercialize carbon removal and storage solutions like never before. With $75M in funding, Deep Sky is backed by world class investors including Investissement Québec, Brightspark Ventures, Whitecap Venture Partners, OMERS Ventures, BDC Climate Fund, and more. For more information, visit deepskyclimate.com.

‍Media Contacts

‍Brooks Wallace
Deep Sky
‍brooks@deepskyclimate.com