More Americans believe global warming is real, the number of climate deniers is shrinking, and the majority of Americans believe that climate change is causing extreme weather. So reports a new opinion poll conducted by Yale and George Mason University. It is the seventh poll in an ongoing series initiated to track evolving public attitudes toward climate change.
In the new poll, belief in climate change has increased, with seven in ten Americans responding that global warming is happening. Relatively few – only 12 percent – felt it was not. More than half of those polled felt climate change was being caused by human activities, with the number attributing warming to natural fluctuations declining to an all-time low of 30%.
The poll’s authors note that while, “additional analysis is required to determine why Americans increasingly believe that global warming is happening, it is likely due to a number of factors, including the record number of extreme weather events that have occurred over the past two years, such as heat waves, widespread drought, floods, wildfires, and violent storms.”
Climate change is no longer perceived as a distant threat; a growing number of Americans feel that climate change will harm U.S. residents, with almost half of those polled viewing climate change as a threat to their families and communities.
Once again, climate scientists were cited as the most trusted sources of information on climate change. It’s time to let the best science guide policy solutions, for the good of society and the health of our planet.
Web Links
Yale Climate Change Report
http://environment.yale.edu/climate/news/Climate-Beliefs-September-2012/
Photo, taken on July 20, 2008, courtesy of Victor Gumayunov via Flickr.