Younger Canadians hold more hope that business leaders will be able to help nations meet international climate-action goals in the 2030 Paris Agreement than do older counterparts, according to a new survey by Schneider Electric and Edelman.
The 2030 Paris Agreement sets goals for nations to reduce emissions, but the survey asked for views on whether business leaders are doing their part to help national emissions decline.
This gap in views on whether business leaders are doing enough is shaping how different groups view the future of sustainability, according to the survey.
A breakdown shows that 50 per cent of Canadians aged between 18 and 34 years believe CEOs will deliver on sustainability goals by 2030, compared with only 28 per cent of Canadians aged 55 years and older. Overall, 36 per cent of Canadians believe CEOs will meet sustainability targets by 2030.
Women believe more action is necessary, according to the survey.
It found 85 per cent of women believe big businesses need to act now to help reverse climate change, versus 76 per cent of men.
About 76 per cent of respondents believe corporations have let too much time pass without significant action.
There is also skepticism that business leaders are taking climate change efforts seriously.
Fewer than half (48 per cent) of Canadians think CEOs and other senior leaders recognize the impact of their businesses on the environment, according to the survey, while 47 per cent believe these leaders are genuinely committed to driving sustainable change.
When asked which industries need to act fastest, Canadians ranked as the top three:
- - natural resources (48 per cent);
- - transportation (35 per cent); and
- - energy (34 per cent).
Canadian Maurice Strong was the main organizer of the world's first international Earth Summit, in 1992, in Rio de Janeiro.
Strong said many times in the two years leading up to the conference that if the landmark meeting was a failure, it would be a "spectacular" one.
Countless others in the intervening 32 years have urged action immediately.
Former U.S. vice-president and movie producer Al Gore, in his Academy-Award-winning 2006 film An Inconvenient Truth, urged environmental action but steered away from saying that if action was not taken immediately it would be too late.
"Canadians are looking for bold leadership, and with 2030 just around the corner, there’s no time left for hesitation," Schneider Electric and Edelman's report reads. "Business leaders must seize the opportunity to build a sustainable future before it’s too late."
