More Americans view global warming by what they see outside their windows and not scientific evidence, according to a University of Michigan survey.
While a majority of Americans still believe that global warming is occurring, the cold and snowy winter of 2014 created more disbelievers, according to the National Surveys on Energy and Environment.
The survey is a joint effort of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Muhlenberg Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa.
“This decline is significant because it comes after more scientific evidence detailing the effects of climate change has been released to the American public,” said Barry Rabe, U-M professor of public policy and director of the Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy.
Against this apparent disconnect, the Obama administration continues to advance climate change policies through executive actions including the recently released regulations on coal-burning power plants.
“The divide in public opinion on global warming could complicate implementation of proposed federal efforts to address this issue,” Rabe said.
While 55 percent of Americans think temperatures have gone up over the past four decades, this marks the lowest level recorded in the survey since spring 2011. One in three Americans surveyed said there is no solid evidence of global warming.
And 38 percent of those who do not believe global warming is happening attributed this belief to their personal observations of weather.
Nancy Knott
I get really tired of people saying global warming is fictious. The reason why the winter was so bad, it’s like the heat is starting at the top of the globe, so the weather is like sliding down on the globe. We are having the types of winters like Alaska use to have, because now they are warming up and soon we will be so hot, no water, no crops, no bees, no plant life, and just total desparation and death. I really wish people would think about the health of their children and grandchildren. If you don’t like the idea of children suffering, you should get with reality. Solar and turbine energy would help a lot, but the whole world must jump on the band wagon for safer energy. The United States can’t do it alone for the entire world. Recycle, reuse, and conserve with safe energy.
We need to make the safe energy affordable for the common man. I would love to have a house that ran on efficient and safe energy. I would love to have my house’s energy supplied by turbines and solar energy.
Mark Pugner
“… so the weather is like sliding down on the globe.”
With observations like this I cannot see how any of the Global Warmists can be taken seriously.
Anil Dev
“The United States can’t do it alone for the entire world” what does this mean? u know whats your largest export ? GARBAGE. Nobody expects USA to do for them. Americans dont use public transport. Americans consume more of earth’s resource per head. Feeling sorry for you.
Brian Smola
I dont think most people think global warming itself is fictitious, but rather that human beings are the cause of it. I can site literally hundreds of examples but I’ll just use one since we are from Michigan…We use science to prove that the Great Lakes formed 10,000 years ago by this method–it was a glacial period at that time, huge glaciers shifted, carved out holes in the earth and then melted forming the beautiful lakes we know today. One has to ask themselves…how did those glaciers melt? You guessed it; the climate warmed after being in a cold period.
Plate tectonics forming the continents, volcanic eruptions forming Hawaii, continuous shifts from cold to warm periods thorughout history, there are hundreds of examples. Why on earth would we then disregard all these proven scientific theories today and claim NO climate change should ever occur and that the earth must remain constant? It’s actually ridiculous on its face in my opinion. Yes the earth is warming slightly, but it is only because mother nature, mother earth, God, Gods (whatever you believe in) wants it that way and it has ALREADY occurred numerous times throughout the earth’s lifespan. I don’t worry one bit since it has already occurred and somehow we are are still here today.
cathy wisienski
This is from the United Nations about it…saying it is false!
Many other countries agree….
You can’t find a real scientist anywhere in the world who can look you in the eye and, without hesitation, without clarification, without saying, kinda, mighta, sorta, if, and or but…say “yes, global warming is with us.”
There is no evidence whatsoever to support such claims. Anyone who tells you that scientific research shows warming trends – be they teachers, news casters, Congressmen, Senators, Vice Presidents or Presidents – is wrong. There is no global warming.
Scientific research through U.S. Government satellite and balloon measurements shows that the temperature is actually cooling – very slightly – .037 degrees Celsius.
And I resent people saying I am selfish because I am not chicken little running around yelling the sky is falling !
We have different opinions and mine are based on FACT! We can agree to disagree without you being nasty about it.
I have beautiful grandchildren I want the very best for……I just don’t panic over things that aren’t true.
Senior Scientist
Hi Cathy,
I am a scientist. I have a master’s of science degree from one of the top Universities in the world. I would love to look you in the eye without hesitation and without saying “kinda, mighta, sorta, if, and or but”…and tell you that global warming is a fact and is caused by anthropogenic sources. For a quick lesson I suggest you watch John Oliver’s piece on climate change on youtube. He puts things into terms the general population can understand.
I suggest you get your facts straight before you post comments like this that will give people wrong information from non credible sources.
Brian Smola
The general population can understand? Your view of the general population must not be that great…That John Oliver piece is a political/satirical piece and contains no real facts at all? Please dont waste your time as I have watching it; I’ll never get that 4 minustes and 57 seconds back. And the poster is correct…While the temperatures did rise starting in the 90’s, most recently they have begin to shift in the other direction (cold for those of you in the general population!). I used to trust the scientific community but they too have become political so it no longer matters if 97% of them “agree” that global warming is caused by man, unless they can provide facts showing it; it matters not. My guess is, if you have hundreds of “religious scholars” agree that God exists, those same scientists would not say “You know, 90% of these religious experts agree God exists, so it must be fact”. Just because a bunch of people “SAY” something, doesnt make it so. Provide some real facts and perhaps people will listen.
Doug Kelbaugh
Brian and Cathy
You’re fully entitiled to be CC skeptics or denialists, but you no doubt concede there is SOME chance that the scientists might be right.
Just like you concede there’s some chance your home might burn, and purchase fire insurance.
Given the magnitude of the CC stakes, why wouldn’t you want an insurance policy?
It’s about risk management, not just scientific certainty.
Doug
Brian Smola
I’m sorry but I do not…What is wrong then with thinking that the people who think it is not a crisis are correct??? Shouldnt we be provided the same opportunity? If you research the 70’s, particulary in TIME magazine, “scientists” were predicting global COOLING and were predicting devastating effects from the globe cooling. Well we see how that turned out so I am sorry but I do not; politics gets in the way of science these days and it is a shame. No one can ever provide evidence that the effects are caused by man and not natural, only that they “agree” its man made; that doesnt cut it. Show me scientific proof that it is man made and that is the only real way I will come aboard–appropriately with facts,
Also A Scientist
Cathy,
I, too, am a scientist with a masters of science degree, just as the commenter above me. I will ditto what he/she said and say that I am willing to look you in the eye and tell you whole heartedly that global warming/climate change is an issue that we need to address.
Mark Pugner
Nothing like anonymous “scientists” to prove the point. Good one.
Jerry Diaz
Love to read an article that starts with a question and does not answer it.
Brian Rafferty
Jerry,
Point taken–but it’s very likely that the headline wasn’t chosen by the author. Normally, that’s the editor’s task.
But either way, there indeed seems to be a disconnect!
My two cents,
Brian
Eryn Smith
Jerry, the question asked in the title was not answered because it was rhetorical. And Cathy, I’m assuming you had a link in your response that was removed as I doubt links are allowed in these comments, but I assure you, there is no question that the UN not only believes in anthropomorphic (man-made) climate change, but years ago moved beyond any debate. The UN is, in fact, now trying to deal with the consequences of this very real issue (look up the “United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” for more evidence).
In response to your assertion that no “real scientist” would unequivocally state that climate change is real, and likely the cause of human activities, you are only off by about 97%. Literally 97% of all climate change science experts believe, and will clearly and publicly state, that climate change is real, and humans are the cause (Google Institute of Physics and “Study reveals scientific consensus on anthropogenic climate change”). I know I can’t change your mind, you’ve clearly decided that what you know is good enough for you, but when you are attempting to refute something that is endorsed but 97% of the scientific community, you have to know that someone is going to correct you.
Alan Abend
When the climate stops changing I will worry
Kevin Atkins
When you make the unsupportable claim that 97% of the scientific community (really?) thinks one way or another, you are begging for someone to ask you to prove it. You will not be able to. But even if we stipulate that you are correct, that doesn’t make the position about climate change any more correct. I seem to remember that the position at one time was that the earth was flat, or that the sun revolved around the earth. I would also point out that even among those who believe that there is climate change, there is a disagreement as to what role humans may play and if so, to what extent. The 97% of scientist you claim I am sure do not all believe that ‘humans are the cause’. After all climate change goes on whether we are here or not.
The problem that has occurred is that we have allowed our language to become imprecise (just as was your response). Climate change is real. No doubt about it. The question is whether we have had anything to do with influencing it one way or another. In fact, if you recall it was originally called Global Warming, until it wasn’t and we got the hedge of Climate Change. Why? Because we just do not know? It was supposed to be one way, until it wasn’t. So now we cover all the bases. Whenever there is some weather anomaly we have been told it is climate change. Listen to Our Dear Leader. So, when the weather does something different (this past winter, for example) you cannot blame people for thinking that they have been had.
Take a look at a piece in the April 28, 1975 Newsweek (pg 64). Some of us have historical memory. Some of us have seen the sky is falling routine, or have noted that the historical record is full of them. Wait awhile, as they say, the weather (or scare) will change. I can promise you that. People cannot see that they are acting like earlier centuries folks who thought that they were being punished for having behaved incorrectly. ‘We have been greedy and rapacious, the (gods) earth is punishing us. We must make sacrifice to appease.’ But so many (like you?) think that they have the knowledge that will free them from such thinking, when in fact all that their supposed knowledge does is to blind them to their ignorance.
What we think we know today will be wrong in 20 years. Trust me, read what we thought 40 years ago (Newsweek).
Eryn Smith
Again, that 97% of the scientific community believes in anthropomorphic climate change is not my assertion – it’s from a published study. Links are not supported, so you will have to Google Institute of Physics and “Study reveals scientific consensus on anthropomorphic climate change” – if you choose not to believe the esteemed IOP, then there’s nothing more I can do for you. I’m assuming from your “Dear Leader” comment you watch A LOT of Fox News, so no one is going to change your mind, but there is a difference between one article from one non-scientific news rag in the 1970’s and the global consensus of 97% of the scientific community. Yes, we scientists get things wrong, frequently in fact, and this causes a lot of confusion in the general public who don’t understand that the constant testing and proving/disproving of theories is the very basis of the scientific method.
This is not that. We have a real problem, with a very real, easily understood cause and effect issue of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gases” being released from human activity that is the cause of global climate change. By the way, the name change was forced because even though the problem is warming of the Earth (hence “global warming”) – this causes shifts in weather patterns that result in some localized cooling for short periods (like the Midwestern US last winter). Since that confuses some people, they changed the name to Climate Change.
Now, if I’m wrong, and we aren’t the cause of Climate Change, we curtail the activities of some businesses and there’s some loss of profit for no good reason. If you’re wrong, and we do nothing, a lot of people die. Not a hard call.
Margalit a PhD Scientist
This article wasn’t about global warming, as U of M considers this a given fact, it was about how few people believe in it, especially after the last cold winter. It is really a pity they didn’t cite the facts and sources first, so the conversation doesn’t derail into belief again, but nobody is trying to answer the question!
So, those of you who are convinced global warming is not happening, did the last winter play any role in your beliefs, as the article seems to suggest?
Global warming caused by humans is a fact. Plenty of scientists will look you, Cathy, in the eyes and say so, a Nobel Prize was given, plenty of authoritative reviews have been published, what else do you want to be convinced? Wikipedia on Global warming is actually quite accurate.
Brian Smola
“Global warming caused by humans is a fact”…
Please provide me with the facts and I will gladly come aboard. The problem is, the fact cannot simply be “86.3654983% of scientists say it is caused by man” That is no fact at all but a statement, PLEASE, PLEASE provide me the facts that it is caused by humans.
If it is, my original post above stated that the great lakes were formed by melting glaciers 10,000 years ago. That’s a lot of woolly mammoths driving around SUV’s to get those glaciers to melt, cause man wasnt here so it had to be them and they’re crazy driving habits.
Susan Clozza
I find it hard to believe that so many educated people do not believe that man has any influence on the increasing warming of our planet that is accelerating at a pace never recorded before. We have many ways to measure and compare previous warming and cooling periods that are “scientific” not conjecture. Please see this website and spend the 25 minutes watching the video. http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/human-caused
Brian Smola
Thank you. This is good data supporting increased CO2 levels rather than someone just simply stating “everyone agrees global warming is caused by man”. This data indeed shows increased carbon dioxide levels which I wouldnt dream of disputing–since the industrial revolution we have been buring fossils fuels and a byproduct of that is carbon dioxide; a rather obvious conclusion. What is does not account for is the warming; if the earth naturally warmed multiple times throughout history enough to melt glaciers and form the beautiful waterways we have today and the CO2 levels were 100 parts per million less, what is our concern here?? That a glacier will melt? Newsflash–they already have? We love that the glaciers melted forming the Great Lakes, ending an ice age making this part of the world liveable, but now if the earth warms less than a single degree over a 7 decade period for some reason we live in fear?
So yes, warming has occurred throughout the earths history before, using history it will cool and warm again many cycles, but now that humans are here and…surprise…its warming again like it has mutlple times, its is automatically caused by man because we heat and cool our homes? Where is the logic in that? So all the other warming periods were OK and natural, but this one; this is the one that is problematic and caused by man? Why, because we are here? Because we burn things (and exhale by the way) that release a naturally occuring gas? So when the earth warms and we were not burning things, all is OK and natural. When the earth is warming and we are burning things, we are the cause of it?
Patty Donohue Ebach
Brian is a smart man.