The Mercury (Hobart)
Australians see climate change as the nation's biggest problem but appear unwilling to change their lives to reduce their large environmental footprint, an international survey has found.
Australia is tied in seventh place among 14 developed and developing nations in the National Geographic's Greendex, a measure of sustainable consumption and behaviour.
Brazil and India tied for the highest score for their small footprint per capita, and US consumers were ranked the most wasteful.
Roughly a third of Australian consumers surveyed had nine rooms or more in their homes and most had air conditioning (70 per cent).
More than 90 per cent had one or more vehicles per household, second only to US consumers, and six out of 10 drove alone daily.
They also had the longest average commutes of those surveyed.
Australians ranked among the lowest in public transport use, with only 22 per cent catching a bus once a week.