Manmade climate message “losing ground” according to a recent survey of American attitudes to global warming reported by Gallup Poll, 11 March 2009 and OneNewsNow, 16 March 2009. The Gallup Poll survey found a “record-high 41%” of those surveyed believed the seriousness of global warming was exaggerated. The survey also found “fewer Americans believe the effects of global warming have begun to occur. The figure is now 53%, down from 61% in March 2008. At the same time, a record-high 16% say the effects will never occur.” The survey also asked about concern about other environmental issues, such as pollution of water, air and soil and availability of fresh water, loss of forests and endangered species and found: “Not only does global warming rank last on the basis of the total percentage concerned, but it is the only issue for which public concern dropped significantly in the past year.”
Gallup Poll summed up the survey results as follows: “Americans generally believe global warming is real. That sets the U.S. public apart from the global-warming sceptics who assembled early March in New York City to try to debunk the science behind climate change. At the same time, with only 34% of Americans saying they worry “a great deal” about the problem, most Americans do not view the issue in the same dire terms as the many prominent leaders advancing global warming as an issue.”
However, OneNewsNow comments that the survey results really indicate that more people are aligned with the New York conference that the Gallup Poll scoffed at. This conference, run by Heartlands Institute, attracted over 750 people – more than twice as many who attended last year, in spite of being totally ignored by the media. Mark Morano, one of the 70 speakers at the conference commented: “The only place where this alleged climate catastrophe is happening is the virtual world of computer models.” (Quoted in New Scientist Soundbites, 14 March 2009, p10.)
Editorial Comment: The old saying about not fooling all of the people all of the time seems to be coming true about climate change. It seems many members of the general public are smart enough to discern the difference between observed changes in climate and the unproven claim that human activity caused them. It is about time the politicians started taking notice or they may find themselves and their carbon taxes voted out. Gallup Poll was wrong about the purpose of the Heartlands Institute New York conference – it was not to “debunk the science behind climate change” – it was to critically analyse claims made by politicians and journalists who pick and choose which scientific results suit their agenda and ignore those that don’t suit them. (Ref. opinions, politics, anthropogenic)
Evidence News 8 April 2009