Several recent surveys question America’s commitment to reversing global warming.
A greater number of people have been found skeptical of the scientific evidence that greenhouse gases are warming the earth, despite the overwhelming support for the theory from the scientific community.
A just published MIT study tells something of a different story. The survey finds 50 percent of Americans back the nation’s participation in a global treaty combating climate change.
And 60 percent of those contacted for the 2009 poll say the federal government should be doing more to turn back the accumulation of the gases, such as CO2 and methane. This was down from a similar study in 2006. But it is still a significant majority.
Like the earlier studies, the MIT survey discovered that Americans are less convinced urgent action is necessary. Only 23 percent of people backed immediate action, compared with 28 percent in 2006. But the call for quick action was up from 17 percent in 2003.
While the survey confirmed the new wave of doubt in the nation (the misinterpretation of the leaked University of East Anglia e-mail and the prevalence of Fox News the likely explanations) it also suggests that Americans continue to view global warming as a matter that must be addressed. Just not as urgently as the economy.
Source: MIT
