USA & climate change?

Question

How interested is the average American about climate change? With the USA being responsible for 25% of the worlds green house gas emmisions( & the white house not seeming to care)....how does the average US citizen feel: concerned, mildly interested, or totally unaware?

Answer 1

Not concerned, global climate changes occur all the time since the earth was created. This decade of global warming is nothing to worry about. This is not a serious issue.

Answer 2

Here are the results of a global survey that shows that average Americans don't appear to be all that far off from other populations:

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/a...

Unfortunately we got hijacked after Bush failed to act on his campaign promise to reduce carbon emissions.  Given McCain's abysmal record of votes on environmental issues, I'm afraid he'd turn out to be just as dishonest.

On the other hand, with the USA being responsible for 25% of the worlds greenhouse gas emmisions, why should the larger emitter, China, be exempt from controls, and can any plan be truly effective while 80% of the planet's population is exempt from agreements such as Kyoto?  Focusing on the U.S. is pointless while the bigger picture is overlooked: even a few short decades of "development" has proven to be a toxic strategy that may threaten our existence.  No country or population has the automatic right to do that.  We need to pause and assess what's happening before we allow further damage (or its growth) to occur.

Only 1% of Americans are truly wealthy.  The rest of us as just trying to save enough to pay our bills and to afford healthcare and retirement.  Global warming will bankrupt a high percentage of American citizens.  We cannot afford to carry the world's burdens primarily on our backs, so any plan that uses us as a scapegoat and naively assumes that we can dramatically change our consumption (while our infrastructure and living patterns have been built on cheap oil) will end in a spectacular failure.  We need every person on the planet pulling for this goal, for our mutual survival.  When other nations stop needlessly vilifying the United States and get major offenders such as China to join the solution themselves, we'll all enjoy a much more positive prognosis for the future.

Just because Kyoto was poorly designed however that shouldn't (and doesn't) prevent us from taking action.  We've nearly doubled our auto MPG standards (gradually taking effect through 2020).  We're taking a comprehensive look at the carbon impact of industries, agriculture, and forest management so we can develop maximum carbon reduction at minimal cost:

About the US Climate Change Science Program

http://www.climatescience.gov/about/defa...

The First State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR):

http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/sa...

Answer 3

I am concerned. A recent study showed that 70% of Americans are concerned about climate change. You'll find part of the remaining 30% on here trying to push inaction. In effect telling you that you don't need to clean up anything.

I am also concerned about the gross disregard for mainstream science. Some people will latch onto anyone that disagrees with the current scientific understanding, because it fits their beliefs and lifestyle. And of course, they know something our learned scientists at the AGU, NASA, NAS, NOAA and GSA forgot to take into consideration. The only thing I don't understand is why the deniers are holding back their research papers from peer review???

Anything that get's in the way of beliefs in this country is disrespected, until it's economically beneficial.

Answer 4

I would like to see some concrete evidence that doesn't contain so much sketchy data. There is really no solid rock data. Most of the research is based on past climate which we can never infallibly determine to the precise degree science requires. What is pretty solid is that the earth has most certainly went through both warming and cooling trends in the long past. Do we know the causes of these past trends. To be intellectually honest, we would have to say no. Can we speculate, using the fossil record verifying extinctions, for instance. I think so, but only to degree. It seems pretty evident that in past times, c02 levels were much higher than today. Fossil evidence from the Jurassic period will tell us that the earth was lush with plants  and animals of uncommon size. very likely the climate was much warmer then. I don't think it's too far a departure from common sense to argue that warming periods, and if you agree with the AGW theory, high levels of c02  was actually very good for life.Did c02 drive the climate then? There's a lot of questions that should be answered that should cast some reasonable doubt in the minds of many.

Answer 5

Most are somewhat concerned, like most people in the world.

There's a lot less controversy about this is the real world than there is on Yahoo answers:

http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/a...

And vastly less controversy in the scientific community than you might guess from the few skeptics talked about here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_...

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/fu...

Answer 6

This is an interesting question and I'll try to stay on subject.

I research this subject quite a lot personally, I am a US citizen, but I've discovered that most Americans are not very concerned about it.  Fewer are unaware of it but probably just a few years ago, I believe most people would not know what you were talking about.  I think most Americans are at least mildly interested in it one way or another.

It is true that the white house, in the past decade when this subject has been gaining momentum around the rest of the world, has done little to set an example of whether this is real or serious. I'm optimistic now however that the remaining candidates for president are giving the impression that they feel it is serious and will be getting a lot more attention once they are in office, we'll see.

One of the main problems in the US for things like this is how open the media is to manipulation and corruption.  Surely there can't be absolute truth and absolute lie on something at the same time but yet they seem to do a great job reporting both.  Meaning, someone is always lying or they just don't know what they are talking about.

When you take into consideration the bigger picture... Global Warming is being blamed primarily on rising C02 GHG.  Rising C02 is primarily being blamed on the oil companies and the impact they have on our economy and way of life, which we in turn take advantage of tremendously.  The result of which makes the oil companies filthy rich, so rich, that they can buy any counter measure (including bill which protect them) or PR campaign possible (sky is the limit).

Americans are hopelessly stuck in this cycle.  We know we are running out of oil eventually, we all agree it would be better to rid our dependence of foreign oil which is 70% of it, and most of us would agree, burning fossil fuels is likely not that good for the environment, yet we not only continue to do it, we are paying more to do it and the irony is... oil companies are laughing all the way to the bank as they experience the highest profits they have ever had (ExxonMobil has been breaking all the records... last year they made over 30 billion clear profit, that's over half a billion a week at our expense).  And if you don't think they will do whatever it takes for however many more weeks they can to keep making that kind of dough, than, well, I don't even know what to say to that actually.

I'm sure it's safe to say that 95% of anything which has attempted to disprove or downplay the need to reduce oil dependence/use for any reason has stemmed from the relentless propaganda paid for by the oil companies.

The recent popular theme... doing something about global warming will wreck our economy.

The way I look at that, not doing something now will certainly ensure that later on.  At least by doing something now, we have a fair chance at actually profiting from the change by becoming the leader in the technologies which come from it.  That's what this country is about, being innovative and the leader in things once we set our mind to be.

But we'll just have to wait it out a few billion more barrels probably before the 'oil companies' are doomed to give up and release us from its grip...

Thanks for asking.

Answer 7

You have to realize that it isn't individuals who have created that 25% emissions. Most of that is from industry and most of us would prefer that industry not spew out toxins into the air or pollution into our streams. Unfortunately, that is controlled by politics. Only when politicians have something at stake will they start to make regulations that matter.

As for US citizens, there aren't any polls on the subject matter that I'm aware of. Personally most of the people I know have made changes to alleviate our personal impact on the environment. Poor people seem to be the least likely to care  since they have bigger personal issues to worry about. Ironically, they are probably some of the worst offenders since they do not educate their kids about trash, they drive old cars with lousy emission systems, they don't maintain their homes because they do not have money...on the other hand, those who are homeless have very little impact.

So...where are you in all of this?

Answer 8

About 90% of adults in the U.S.A have at some point discussed this issue in detail, and could be considered at least mildly interested. Mainly, they criticize Scientists by saying things like "These people dont know **** about whats going on". This is mainly because Scientists have gone from talking about global warming, then all the way to a possible global cooling...So its all pretty out there. No one really know c**p. Adults actually like the idea of it getting a little warmer. You'll here them say "Jeez, yoiu know I'd like it to pop up a degree or two." They dont realize whats behind it (if this whole conspiracy has nething behind it at all.) I have mized views on this. IDK. The end.

Answer 9

I'm mainly concerned about all the taxes and kook regulations that are going to be forced upon us.

Climate change is as natural as anything and it seems we are in the beginning of a cooling trend.