Lowy Institute Poll 2025 Report

Climate change and energy

Climate change

In 2025, half of the public (51%) say ‘global warming is a serious and pressing problem’ about which ‘we should begin taking steps now, even if this involves significant costs’ — a drop of six points since last year. One-third (33%) say ‘the problem of global warming should be addressed, but its effects will be gradual, so we can deal with the problem gradually by taking steps that are low in cost’, roughly steady on last year. Only 15% take the view that ‘until we are sure that global warming is really a problem, we should not take any steps that would have economic costs’, up three points since last year.

Young Australians continue to view climate change with a greater sense of urgency, with more than six in ten Australians (63%) aged 18–29 saying that global warming is a serious and pressing problem — 17 points more than those aged over 60 that say the same (46%). However, since last year, a decline in the sense of urgency across all age groups is most pronounced among the youngest, which saw a ten-point drop.

Political leaning is highly correlated with views on climate change. Two-thirds of Australians (66%) who lean towards Labor say global warming is a serious and pressing problem, compared to around a quarter (27%) of those who lean towards the Liberal–National Coalition. Among the latter group, the most prevalent view (48%) is to deal with climate change gradually, by taking steps that are low in cost.

Net zero: economic opportunity or cost

In the leadup to the May election, both major political parties in Australia had committed to bringing Australia’s national greenhouse gas emissions down to net zero by 2050. However, they differed significantly in their messaging on whether the shift to net zero would be an overall benefit or cost to the economy.

Labor set an ambition for Australia to become a ‘renewable energy superpower’, an idea that posits Australia can benefit economically by using its abundant renewable energy to produce low-carbon industrial goods for the world. The Coalition tended to focus on the costs of the energy transition, but argued that its pre-election energy policy would ultimately be cheaper for consumers and taxpayers.

Australians are roughly split on whether achieving the net zero target would leave the economy better (38%) or worse off (36%). Almost one-quarter (23%) say the transition to net zero would ‘make no difference’ to Australia’s economy.

Australia’s 2050 energy mix

Prior to the election, both major parties put forward markedly different energy plans to achieve their commitment to net zero by 2050.

The incumbent Labor government’s plan focused on building a renewables-dominated energy grid firmed by battery storage and backed up by gas generation, while the Coalition opposition proposed establishing a nuclear power industry in Australia to eventually replace baseload coal power, alongside renewables and gas. Both parties contested the costs, emissions impact, and feasibility of the other’s energy plans.

When it comes to how Australians think the country should source its power by 2050, a majority believe at least some role should be played by each of the four energy sources surveyed. But views differ widely on the extent of the role people believe each should play.

Renewables are the most preferred source of power in Australia, with three-quarters of the adult population (75%) saying they should play a ‘major role’ in the energy mix. One-fifth (20%) think they should play a ‘minor role’, while almost no Australians (4%) envisage an energy mix without renewable power.

On the place of gas in the future energy mix, the largest share of respondents (51%) believe it should play a minor role by 2050, while almost four in ten Australians (38%) see a major role for gas. Only 9% of Australians see no role at all for gas by 2050.

Many Australians also see coal continuing to be part of the mix, with the largest share envisaging a minor role (44%) for this energy source by 2050, and one-quarter a major role (24%). However, almost one-third (31%) say coal should no longer play a role in Australia’s energy production by 2050.

On nuclear power — the only one of the four sources surveyed not currently part of Australia’s energy mix — two-thirds (66%) of the public see some role for nuclear energy by 2050, about the same number that see some role for coal. Almost four in ten Australians (37%) say it should play a major role, and less than a third (29%) a minor role. By contrast, almost one-third (32%) think nuclear should play no role at all — a similar level to the number opposed to coal playing any role in Australia’s long-term energy mix.

Potential climate policies

In 2025, Australians express majority support, in varying degrees, for a range of potential and ongoing federal government climate-related policies.

A number of countries, including Australia, have adopted green industrial policies that provide government subsidies and support for clean energy technology development and manufacturing. The vast majority of Australians (82%) say they support the government ‘providing subsidies for the development of renewable energy technologies’. While still high, support for this has gradually declined from a peak of 91% in 2021.

Seven in ten Australians (71%) say they support ‘reducing gas exports to other countries’, a new question this year. Close to three-quarters of the gas produced in Australia is exported.¹ Some groups have advocated for the reduction of gas exports, given their contribution to climate change, while others have proposed doing so to lower domestic energy prices.

However, almost two-thirds of Australians (65%) support ‘increasing the use of gas for energy generation’. This is in line with the finding that a majority of Australians think gas should continue to have some role in Australia’s energy mix by 2050. Gas accounted for approximately 18% of total electricity generation in Australia in 2022–2023.²

Australia is bidding to co-host the United Nations’ annual climate conference of the parties in 2026, known as COP31, in partnership with other Pacific Island nations. This initiative continues to have widespread support among Australians (70%), steady from 2024.

More than half of Australians (56%) support introducing an emissions trading scheme or a carbon tax, a drop of eight points since 2022. While an economy-wide emissions trading scheme is no longer under active debate in Australian politics, the government’s reformed Safeguard Mechanism does allow for emissions trading as part of a system to curb emissions in high-emitting industries.

A slim majority continue to support banning new coal mines (54%), a drop of nine points from 63% in 2022.