Deep Sky Survey Reveals Albertans are Deeply Concerned About Climate Change; Open to Tech-Based Solutions

67% believe climate change poses a severe threat and 53% want the Alberta government to do more about it

EDMONTON, AB, July 4, 2024 /CNW/ -- Deep Sky, the Canadian carbon removal project developer, commissioned a public opinion survey conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights that polled 1,200 Albertans on climate change. The findings show overwhelming concern about 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 among Albertans to address climate change. Two-thirds (67%) of Albertans believe climate change poses a severe threat to the planet and 53% want the Alberta provincial government to do more to fight climate change. Meanwhile, 61% believe energy companies and 58% believe businesses should do more.

Albertans are especially worried about natural disasters caused by climate change (77%), the impact on insurance rates (79%), the impact for the next generation (74%), food shortages (74%), negative health impacts (69%), and causing wars and refugees as people flee land made unlivable by climate change (65%). In fact, 51% have experienced the effects of climate change firsthand. Just 31% feel Alberta is a world leader in fighting climate change, while 55% feel it can be a world leader.

There is majority agreement that Canada should use carbon removal technology to help fight climate change in Calgary (67%) and Edmonton (57%), with more than half (51%) of those elsewhere in Alberta in agreement.

A majority of Albertans (65%) want to learn more about carbon removal, while 29% would be interested in a job in the industry. Interest in learning more about carbon removal is similar across age and gender groups, with university-educated Albertans (70%) and Calgarians (72%) more interested. Men under 50 (44%), those in Calgary (36%), and lower income earners (36%) are most interested in working in the carbon removal industry.

"Albertans have spoken, and it's clear they want Alberta to lead the way in Canada's decarbonization," said Deep Sky CEO, Damien Steel. "Carbon removals present a unique opportunity for Alberta to pioneer this emerging industry, while reaping the economic rewards and producing green jobs."

Support for the Alberta government making investments in carbon removal technology cuts across all partisan lines provincially. The findings show 69% overall support from all Albertans, which includes 79% among NDP voters and 61% among United Conservative Party voters. At the federal level, support for the federal government investing in carbon removal is 67% overall, 82% among NDP voters, 80% among Liberal voters, and 58% among Conservatives.

The full survey findings can be found here.

Methodology
Findings come from an online survey of a randomly-selected sample of 1,200 adult (18+) Albertans, fielded by Pollara Strategic Insights between May 1-12, 2024. The margin of error for a sample of this size would be +/- 2.8%. Data has been weighted using the most current language, gender, age, & region Census data, to ensure the sample reflects the actual population of adult Albertans.

About Deep Sky:
Montreal-based Deep Sky is the world's first tech-agnostic carbon removal project developer aiming to remove gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere and permanently store 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.

SOURCE Deep Sky