Despite Americans not all being on the same page when it comes to climate change and its causes and effects on our lives, there is still broad support for an overall decrease in carbon emission pollution. As we know, carbon emission from man made products is the number one cause of climate change. So while we’re not all on the same page or even reading from the same book, we all want the same thing. But is that enough?
Do Americans Believe Climate Change is Happening?
A 2016 survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication surveyed Americans across the country to get their take on the polarizing issue of climate change. Despite the rhetoric of the current administration, a majority 70% of Americans believe and acknowledge that global warming is happening. This majority held up across states and even into individual congressional districts and counties. Thus, the majority of Americans everywhere acknowledge that climate change is real.
But despite acknowledging its validity, Americans still aren’t sure whether or not climate change is a pressing problem. Only 58% revealed that they were worried about climate change while 42% said they were not worried at all. The survey went on to find that 40% of Americans believe climate change is hurting them now while 58% think it will harm Americans in the future. Another question showed that 63% of Americans think climate change will affect third world countries. Overall, these survey results tell us that while Americans know climate change is real, they believe that it is a distant problem that will only affect future generations or other countries. News flash America, this is not the case.
Where Do the Scientists Fit In?
The statistics get worse when we bring scientists into the picture. It has been widely reported that the vast majority of scientists and researchers are in consensus that climate change is a real and pressing problem. However, a lot of Americans don’t seem to know this fact. Survey respondents were asked if most scientists believe global warming is happening and only 49% said yes. This alarming statistic shows that Americans are confused over the scientific knowledge behind climate change. Luckily, 71% of Americans answered that they would trust scientific experts on matters like climate change.
What Do Americans Think is Causing Climate Change?
Americans were split once again when asked what they thought caused climate change. Only 53% correctly answered that climate change is a manmade problem while 32% incorrectly answered that the cause of climate change is natural. It’s interesting to note that while the majority of Americans, 70%, believe climate change is real, they are extremely divided on the cause and the scientific proof to back up their beliefs.
Do Americans Want Action on Climate Change?
The most remarkable finding from the survey was that a vast majority of Americans support action on climate change. 82% of Americans support funding for renewable energy research. 82%! That’s a lot of Americans who want us to spend money on looking into renewable energy sources. 75% of Americans also support regulating carbon pollution, despite the new administration’s vision to eliminate these regulations in the very near future. Even the majority of Trump voters supported carbon taxes and regulations.
Americans’ belief in climate change and support for action on climate change is a positive, powerful finding from this survey. However, their confusion with the scientific community and belief that climate change isn’t a pressing problem could spell disaster. If Americans don’t think climate change is a major issue because they don’t hear the scientific evidence or because they believe it’s a distant problem, they won’t press politicians to take the action that needs to be taken now.