________________ American Ignorance * IS CLIMATE CHANGE OCCURRING? 10 30 50 70 90 WHAT AMERICANS REALLY THINK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL CLIMATE CHANGE POSE A SERIOUS THREAT IN YOUR LIFETIME? 2008 2009 2010 1111 Illlll 2006 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 10 30 50 70 go llll HII 40% 58% 38% 60% THE EVER-CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC HAS BECOME INCREASINGLY POLITICIZED IN RECENT YEARS, WITH THOUSANDS OF DIFFERENT THEORIES AND STATISTICS CIRCULATING AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT. IT IS IN THIS POLARIZED ENVIRONMENT THAT AMERICANS FORM THEIR OPINIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND ITS IMPORTANCE AS A LEGITIMATE THREAT TO THE FUTURE OF LIFE ON OUR PLANET HERE WE LOOK AT HOW THESE VIEWS HAVE SHIFTED OVER THE LAST DECADE. AND WHERE AMERICANS STAND TODAY ON THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE 32% | 67% III 2008 III ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||||||II MINTE THREAT LEVEL THREAT LEVEL THREAT LEVEL YES NO NO OPINION 2010 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ) IS OCCURING UNSURE NOT OCCURINGNO OPINION WHAT AMERICANS BELIEVE ABOUT WHEN THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE WILL BEGIN TO HAPPEN PERCENTAGE OF AMERICANS WHO FEEL THAT WHAT IS SAID IN THE NEWS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING IS GENERALLY EXAGGERATED? 63 63 58 58 59 5756 GENERALLY EXAGGERATED GENERALLY CORRECT GENERALLY UNDERESTIMATED NO OPINION 27 10 10 HUIT 1 2001EE 2002EE 200355 200455 200555 2006 2007 2008 200955 20105E ALREADY BEGUN/WITHIN A FEW YEARS WITHIN LIFETIME NOT WITHIN LIFETIME/NEVER NO OPINION << 12001 2002 THE UNITED STATES'S ACTIONS TO REDUCE CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE FUTURE WOULD: 12003 12004 12005 (12006 12007 12008 12009 12010 O EFFECT HOW IMPORTANT IS THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE? EXTREMELY IMPORTANT VERY IMPORTANT SONEWHAT IMPORTANT NOT TOO IMPORTANT NOT AT ALL IMPORTANT MOT EFFECT 14% 32% 30% 12% 12% HAVE NO ECONOMY WHAT AMERICANS BELIEVE ABOUT U.S. GOVERNMENT ACTION REGARDING CLIMATE CHANGE 18% NOULD NOT WS GREATE FEW HURT U.S. 24% 2770 GORE JOBS CWER JOBS | 14% SAY THE UNITED STATES SHOULD TAKE NO ACTION TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE UNLESS OTHER COUNTRIES SUCH AS 56% REATE MORE HELP US * 86% WANT INDIA ECONOMY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF AIR POLLUTION BUSINESSES EMIT CHINA DO AS WELL. 1) SOURCES > WOODS STANFORD EDU > LIVESCIENCE, COM RASMUSSENREPORTS.COM SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN 2007 * 2010 A COLLABORATION BETWEEN GOOD AND COLUMN FIVE Source: http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1009/climate change/flat.html82
