Public Accepts Existence Of "Global Warming"

Nearly all scientists worldwide have accepted the reality of global climate change (commonly called "global warming"). They also believe that all or most of that global climate change is caused by human activity, such as the burning of carbon-based fuels. But here in the United States, the public has been very slow to accept those facts -- probably because of a concerted campaign by energy companies (and right-wing Republicans) to deny both that global climate change exists or that it is caused by humans.

But that may now be changing. A new survey done by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication shows that a significant majority of Americans now believe that global climate change is happening, and they believe this climate change is affecting the weather in the United States. Here are some of the study's results (note -- the study has a 3 point margin of error):

69% believe global warming is affecting weather in the United States.

72% blame the unusually warm winter in 2011-2012 on global warming.

70% blame global warming for record-high 2011 summer temperatures.

69% blame the 2011 drought in Texas & Oklahoma on global warming.

61% blame the record snowfall in 2010-2011 on global warming.

63% blame the 2011 Mississippi River floods on global warming.

59% blame global warming for worsening Hurricane Irene.

The study did not ask respondents what they believed to be the cause of global climate change -- only whether they believed it was affecting the weather in this country. Hopefully, now that the people are accepting that global climate change does exist (and is not some kind of hoax perpetrated by scientists), they will now start to think about what is causing it -- and realize that it is at least partially caused by human beings. And also hopefully, they will realize this in time to do something about it.

Energy policies will not be changed to address the problem of global climate change until as big a margin of the public believes it is man-made as now believe it is real. And nothing can be done worldwide until the United States changes its policies. All we can do now is try to educate the public, and hope they awaken to the truth before it is too late (and the tipping point is reached -- beyond which global climate change can't be stopped or reversed).