Interest in Climate Change Plummets: Blame the Economy
A recent Pew study indicates that climate change has been losing its luster. In every category, from age, political leanings, region, and education, people are increasingly skeptical about the science behind global warming. According to the study, between April 2008 and October 2009 there was a notable decline in people who believe global warming is an actual phenomenon (-14%), a decline in people who felt global warming was a result of human activity (-11%), and a decline in people who believe climate change is a very serious issue (-9%).
Blame it on the economy. Oddly, an ailing world economy marked the lowest CO2 emissions in 40 years as industrial activity dropped precipitously. While this would appear to be a triumph for those who believe in human activity’s contribution towards climate change, the bigger picture can’t be missed; the economy has been monopolizing everyone’s attention, and with good reason.
The economy’s current state has spurred on a greater than usual interest in large government expenditures, including social security, deficit reduction, and health care. Greater efficiency within government spending has become the main focus of Americans, leading to the exclusion of matters such as climate change.
In a previous poll conducted by Pew in January of this year, participants were asked to rank a list of 20 issues based on priority, including the economy, jobs, social security, education, energy, health care, deficit reduction, and health insurance. According to that poll, climate change became the lowest-rated priority for independents and Republicans, and ranked sixteenth among Democrats.
Andrew Weaver, a professor of climate analysis at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, shared his views on the recent turn against climate change:
“It’s a combination of poor communication by scientists, a lousy summer in the Eastern United States, people mixing up weather and climate and a full-court press by public relations firms and lobby groups trying to instill a sense of uncertainty and confusion in the public.”
While it is easy to understand why people are more concerned with economic issues that have a direct and readily apparent impact on their lives, it is less clear why people seem to be reversing their opinions about climate change.
1 Comment
Comments are closed.
It may be that the American public is following the lead of a popular president as to what they should focus on. President Obama has addressed the issue of climate change on several occasions and that is good. But health care and two wars are getting more attention at this time. I believe that people are trying to get the true facts and that can be difficult with the media as it presently is. Climate change is a huge issue and it’s important that it remain in the public arena. This is a subject that will not go away.