A recently released Pew poll on Americans’ views on climate change should worry progressives. According to the survey, there has been a significant drop in the percentage of Americans who believe that there is proof that manmade global warming is happening. Also worrisome is the decline in the percentage of people who think that climate change is a “very serious” problem.
The poll of 1,500 Americans found that 57 percent of respondents think there is “solid evidence” that the Earth is warming, down from 71 percent in April 2008. It also found a startling drop in the number of people who think that global warming is “very serious,” from 44 percent in April 2008 to 35 percent today. Particularly striking is the fact that the declines have occurred across the partisan spectrum, with fewer Democrats, Republicans, and Independents all saying they see evidence for warming.
There are several reasons for the growing doubts about climate change. A major factor is media coverage of the issue. Even though climate change is settled science, the media continue to give a platform to skeptics, falsely giving the public the impression that there is no consensus on the issue. (Exhibit A: George Will, not only a marquee name at the Washington Post, but the most widely read syndicated columnist in America.)
Another is that the science itself is so complex that Americans are especially prone to misapprehensions. For instance, a study by academics Patrick J. Egan and Megan Mullin (PDF) found that, at least for less educated Americans, there is a significant relationship between local weather conditions and people’s views on global warming. In other words, during a cooler stretch of days in the summer, some respondents are more likely to think that global warming is not a serious problem. As scientists have pointed out, short-term shifts in weather patterns are irrelevant to the broader debate about climate change.
But a likelier explanation for public cooling on global warming is the state of the economy. Simply put, it’s harder to think about saving the planet when you’re scrambling to save your job. Progressives need to do a better job of framing climate change as less a crisis to be addressed than an opportunity to be exploited. While the Obama administration has sought to make the connection between environmental stewardship and economic recovery via its “green jobs” initiative, progressives have clearly not done enough to hammer home the message.
The shift from a fossil-fuel based economy to a greener, cleaner one is obviously necessary for us to avoid the massive consequences of climate change. But by forcing the economy to innovate – always America’s strongest suit – the transformation into a clean economy just might be the spark America needs to regain its dynamism. Too few Americans know or understand this – and, consequently, their commitment to addressing climate change is proving tenuous.
