Americans Don't Care About Climate Change Any More Than They Did in 1989
Just over one-third of Americans worry "a great deal" about climate change, down one percent from 1989. That despite nearly every other climate change metric continuing to steadily increase. Just over one-third of Americans worry "a great deal" about climate change, down one percent from 1989. That despite nearly every other climate change metric temperatures, sea levels, carbon dioxide concentration, and major storms continuing to steadily increase. Gallup released the new data on Friday, noting that Americans show a "low level" of concern about climate change. Gallup's data comes four days after an exhaustive scientific analysis showing that concern about climate change and its effects is more than warranted, immediately. This is the key graph, and Gallup's description. That's pretty amazing. Particularly given what has happened with those other metrics: About a third of a degree higher annually. At least four centimeters higher . There have been 131 billion-dollar plus weather disasters in the US since 1989. (Data from the NCDC .) These disasters are not all related to climate change, but many droughts, Hurricane Sandy were made significantly worse . About 50 ppm higher . But worry about climate change? Stuck. Flat. Gallup, predictably, blames politics. Here's how worry about climate change varies by political party. Republicans are more like than not to worry about climate change not at all; Democrats, to worry about it a lot. That may in part be due to the traditional overlap of older Americans and Republican registration. Gallup wasn't able to provide me with a breakdown of party by age, but a report last month showed that older people were much less likely to think they'd see climate change in their lifetimes. And, while climate change is obviously already affecting the world around us, older people will certainly not experience the even-worse effects that are looming. Here's how worry compared to age in the new report: Is it possible, then, that as the Boomer population ages, belief among Americans will start to trend up? Maybe. Possibly. But since Americans have already managed to ignore the obvious patterns above, there's certainly reason to be skeptical. Particularly given the indifference to persuasion displayed by many of those who deny that climate change is happening.