From the Wall Street Journal.
Related: European views on global warming higher than USA.
A new poll out today on Americans’ attitudes about climate change presents sobering findings for those that favor aggressive action to curb U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases.
The survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds a sharp decline over the past year in the percentage of Americans who see solid evidence that global temperatures are rising. According to the survey, conducted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4 among 1,500 adults reached on cell phones and landlines, fewer respondents also see global warming as a very serious problem; 35% say that today, down from 44% in April 2008.
The survey also points to a decline in the proportion of Americans who say global temperatures are rising as a result of human activity. Just 36% say that currently, down from 47% last year.
Not everything in the poll is bad news for those that favor capping U.S. emissions. According to the survey, a majority (56%) of Americans think the United States should join other countries in setting standards to address global climate change, while 32% say that the United States should set its own standards. And half of Americans favor setting limits on carbon emissions and making companies pay for their emissions, even if this may lead to higher energy prices.
On the other hand, more than half (55%) say they haven’t heard about so-called “cap and trade” legislation being considered in Congress. (Then again, Sen. John Kerry says he doesn’t know what “cap and trade” means, either.)
The poll’s findings come just days before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is scheduled to hold hearings on legislation that calls for cutting U.S. emissions 20 percent beneath 2005 levels by 2020.
They also coincide with the release of a new Government Accountability Office study that says most federal, state and local officials have not yet taken steps to adapt to the impacts of global warming that America can expect.
Not surprisingly, opponents and supporters of carbon caps have very different takes on the poll’s findings.
“Perhaps the most interesting finding in this poll, aside from the precipitous drop in the number of Independents who believe global warming is a problem, is that the more Americans learn about cap-and-trade, the more they oppose cap-and-trade,” says Sen. James Inhofe (R., Okla.), a longtime skeptic of climate-change warnings.
Daniel Weiss at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, says the findings point to the effectiveness of “right-wing media personalities” in “distorting science while the mainstream media remains trapped in its ‘he said, she said’ narrative” about the science.
Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, says he’s a little surprised by the decline in the percentage of respondents who see solid evidence of global warming. On the other hand, Mr. Kohut said, “we have since the onset of the recession seen people giving lower priority to environmental issues” in polls.
Overall, Mr. Kohut says the disposition of most Americans appears to be “to want to do something” about climate change, “but it’s not as sharp as it would be in a different economic climate.”
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More about the polls in the press.
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fpcomment/archive/2009/10/23/lawrence-solomon-democrats-are-abandoning-obama-on-global-warming.aspx
Adolfo Giurfa (08:55:28) :
“We are near December. What will it be after Copenhagen, once it has been signed by the majority of countries?, it will be signed by third world countries because of the benefits they are supposed to receive from the developed world, and, for sure, it will be signed also by those countries who wish the occidental countries a premature fall. What will follow then?”
Hi Adolfo,
1. China and India are not going to sign
They closed an agreement yesterday to oppose any sanctions.
2. As Moncton stated during his interview with Glenn Beck he will do anything to rail road the American participation of the Copenhagen bill.
He is in Washington now to speak to Congress, he will have a meeting with John Bolton en develops a strategy which includes a possible law suit to because the IPCC findings are based on incorrect science.
He will use the findings of Prof Richard Lindzen for this.
3. We have to call those Senators and do anything we can to clear up people up about the tru intentions behind the Copenhagen Treaty and prevent it.
If a Senator or a Congressman is pro AGW, open a blog that bears his name and publish everything he says including the debunked information and the links.
I am sure they don’t like that.
4. Boycott any company that jumped on the AGW gravy train, from GE, Apple Computers, Levis and Royal Dutch Shell etc, etc and tell them why you boycott their products and services.
Open blogs and spread the information of all the Green rentseekers
http://factsnotfantasy.blogspot.com/2009/10/rent-seekers-green-corporations.html.
5. Stop any support to organizations like WWF and Greenpeace.
6. If the Copenhagen Treaty becomes a success we have to get organized.
I think the best way is to boycott Government, don’t pay the taxes, don’t accept any of the restrictions and build an organized opposition with a strong legal support.
On the other hand, I think you have more experience with totalitarian aspects of Government than I have.
Polls or no polls , the Senate is going to take up Cap & Trade for real next week . Apparently John Kerry wants to ram it through ala waxman in the House . Time to saddle up !
Ron de Haan (12:45:05) :I think you have more experience with totalitarian aspects of Government than I have.
One of these experiences tells how fast disappear followers and believers once their master falls down.
michel (17:50:36) :
“If Copenhagen gets signed it wont matter what the opinion polls say”
“The most likely outcome if it is signed is for no-one to take any action to comply. See Kyoto”.
I don’t think so.
Have you already forgot about the World Government scenario with full power to go over the heads of National Governments?
Have a look at the Moncton video and think twice.
This is a bloody coup.
Back again – regarding the Lowy Poll carried out in Australia earlier this year, the poll publication can be found linked at this page:
http://www.lowyinstitute.org/Publication.asp?pid=1148
Key to the CC debate we find on page 6 that CC has dropped steadily in the public’s eye as a matter for foreign policy concern over the last 2 years, to now rank 7th down from equal 1st two years ago.
Also when questioned specifically about global warming people have showed a declining support for policy action over the last two years (page 12), such that the majority now favour no action (13%) or gradual action (39%), versus the 48% that opine that action should be immediate. The latter dropped from 68% two years ago.
While this says nothing about CC or the science around it, it does speak volumes about the fickle attention span of the average voter.
Green Jihads, a very small minority victimize banks for lending money to coal, oil and gas companies.
Let’s visit them at home and cut off their electricity.
http://heliogenic.blogspot.com/2009/10/greens-on-jihad-against-rbs.html
Obama: Climate Pessimism More Dangerous Than Climate Deniers
Read the latest crap from our Obamanobel
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2009/10/23/obama-pessimism/
[snip -off topic]
A good synopsis of the mainstream media coverage around the recent climate polls, from the New York Times Opinionator blog:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/weekend-opinionator-are-americans-cooling-on-global-warming/
I’m seeing a significant increase in skeptical coverage and climate criticality coming from several important mainstream media outlets.
“The naysayers, the folks who would pretend that this is not an issue, they are being marginalized,” Obama warned
Anybody here pretending ? Thought not.
[snip – not tolerating much more of you]