Voter concern about climate change has surged and about half of Australians want new coal mines banned, according to new research that suggests the Morrison government’s relegation of emissions reduction is at odds with public sentiment.

As federal cabinet agreed on Monday night to dump climate targets associated with its energy plan, official figures also show crop production in Australia has dropped due to the harsh drought – conditions exacerbated by climate change - and the United Nations chief warned of “a direct existential threat” unless Earth changes course on deadly greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.

Research by progressive think tank The Australia Institute to be released on Wednesday found that 73 per cent of Australians were concerned about climate change, up from 66 per cent last year.

A polar bear on melting ice off the coast of Svalbard, Norway. The vast majority of Australians say they are concerned about climate change. Credit:Steven Kazlowski

Fears were heightened when respondents were asked about specific impacts. Some 78 per cent were concerned that extreme weather caused by climate change would affect crop production and food supply, while about the same proportion worried about the effects on the Great Barrier Reef and more frequent bushfires.