Commentary by Dr. Chris Russill, Re.Climate Academic Co-Director, on Re.Climate’s fifth annual report, “What Do Canadians Really Think About Climate Change?”
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What Do Canadians Really Think About Climate Change? 2025
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Canadians care. Let’s close the gap.
It is a confusing time for climate communicators. Shifts in polling and political priorities feel sudden and far-reaching. Do we even speak of “climate” anymore? In reading Re.Climate’s 2025 report, “What Do Canadians Really Think About Climate Change?”, however, I’m most struck by what hasn’t changed. The desire for climate protection is durable. Canadians still want our leaders to act decisively. The more things change, the more this stays the same. But what of uneven support for policies and regulations that enable climate action? Or a decline in climate concern as a public priority? Or even—gasp—calls for pipelines to crisscross our country?
It is commonly observed that support for climate protection is strongest in the abstract—but when people are asked to rank their priorities or consider costs, climate concern is far less definitive.
But what does this observation mean?
It does not mean polling is unreliable. It does not mean we disregard evidence of declining support for climate policies. It also does not mean we ignore general expressions of climate concern as naïve or insignificant. Personally, I find these repeated calls for climate protection more authentic than reactions to polls driven by news cycles in upheaval.
Why?
Public opinion can shift suddenly and surprise us. These opinions are the most newsworthy and fun to speculate about. And this can lead us to believe public opinion is shallow or temperamental when it comes to protecting our climate. It isn’t. People want action, they want it faster, and they want to be part of a country that cares about this. This is a consistent finding, poll after poll, year over year. It is part of who we are as Canadians. But we don’t quite realize it yet.
People want action, they want it faster, and they want to be part of a country that cares about this.
This disconnect is called the perception gap and occurs when people don’t realize their pro-climate view is, in fact, the majority view. Bridging this gap is one good reason to keep speaking of climate. Another is the identification gap, where people feel policies are out of touch with their concerns or problems.
In reading the 2025 “What Do Canadians Really Think About Climate Change?” report, I realized how often this is the case. Much of our polling and news coverage is dedicated to contentious policies, not those with wide appeal. For example, people want clean public transit, not rebates on a posh Tesla. Yet, we hear far more frequently about the ups and downs of the EV industry.
So, by all means, let’s talk about what’s new, puzzling, and worrying in this important report. Let’s talk about all of it. But let’s not forget what Canadians have been telling us for the last decade. Climate matters here. Canadians want to be part of a country that cares about climate protection — a point underscored by polling, yes, but just as clearly by the anti-climate ideology of those preferring separatism and the U.S. to living with us. We should continue advancing
climate protection for many reasons, but not least because it is who we are.
Let’s talk like it.
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