Results of the latest Gallup poll:
Worldwide, Blame for Climate Change Falls on Humans
Americans among least likely to attribute to human causes
by Julie Ray and Anita Pugliese
WASHINGTON, D.C. — World residents are more likely to blame human activities than nature for the rise in temperatures associated with climate change. Thirty-five percent of adults in 111 countries in 2010 say global warming results from human activities, while less than half as many (14%) blame nature. Thirteen percent fault both.
Lawrence Solomon makes an observation:
In Sub-Saharan Africa, where 54% are not aware that their climate is alleged to be warming, a mere 22% have heard of the global warming issue and predominantly blame humans for the warming. In undeveloped Asia, 48% are unaware that the climate is warming and 27% predominantly blame humans.
It would seem that access to MSM figures greatly in that trend, many of the world’s poorest have no radio, TV, newspapers, or Internet access. But one has to wonder, if the people that live closest to the earth (such as natives in sub-Saharan Africa) can’t detect changes around them, are we manufacturing a crisis that we wouldn’t notice otherwise?
The Gallup poll is available here (PDF) and questions, and the responses by region and by country, are here.
Marion says:
April 27, 2011 at 1:30 pm
So you agree with my earlier comment that the statement at the end of the article (below) is a load of rubbish then:
“But one has to wonder, if the people that live closest to the earth (such as natives in sub-Saharan Africa) can’t detect changes around them, are we manufacturing a crisis that we wouldn’t notice otherwise?”
I think the Inuit would me more likely to notice any changes than the klahari bushmen for example.
SteveE says:
April 28, 2011 at 2:49 am
“I think the Inuit would me more likely to notice any changes than the kalahari bushmen for example.”
I’d have to agree with you SteveE – as the polar regions are supposed to warm more than, say, equatorial zones. But then I’d have to say here in sunny South Australia for the 3 summers have progressively seemed cooler to me. Couple of bitey hot bits of plus 40C (not this year) but overall cool. I’ve noticed my persimmons are ripening fully a month late now. Winter is a little milder due to more cloud cover and wetter too. Buggered up the state govt’s dream of selling us water from the new distill plant. Might be useful in 10yrs time. Anyway, it was like this I recall in the mid 70s. Stuffed up a couple of years beach time as a teen. Oral history mate and the BOM doesn’t tell us how cool it is.
I’m sulking because I can see Northern Hemisphere in the table at top, but where is Aust and NZ and Sth Africa and Sth America? We are not illiterate down under and we can give scores. Like we can thrash England at cricket when we want to.
“It would seem that access to MSM figures greatly in that trend, many of the world’s poorest have no radio, TV, newspapers, or Internet access. But one has to wonder, if the people that live closest to the earth (such as natives in sub-Saharan Africa) can’t detect changes around them, are we manufacturing a crisis that we wouldn’t notice otherwise?”
Definitely yes, as others above have said.
Many peoples, with intact cultural traditions, who don’t have MSM, etc. maintain long oral histories and these histories include weather/climate.
If the climate was noticeably different than it was in, say, their grandfather’s time, then I’m sure they would have noticed. Especially if some form of climate issue caused them undue hardship or they had to to move from one place to another.