Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Belief in climate change soars among conservatives but most still don't think it is caused by humans

Belief in climate change has climbed recently, making a rebound from a sharp drop in 2009, according to a Pew Research Center poll. About 67 percent of Americans now believe temperatures are rising, with acceptance stretching across all age groups and political party affiliations, including more skeptical senior citizens and Republicans, Evan Lehmann of Energy and Environment News reports.

Forty-eight percent of Republicans agree that there is "solid evidence" that Earth's temperature has increased over several decades. That's a 5-percentage-point climb among Republicans since last year, and a 13-point rise since 2009. The biggest jump among Republicans came from conservatives, 43 percent of whom now believe in climate change, an increase of 12 points since last year. Fifty-eight percent of Republican moderates believe in it.

However, far fewer Republicans believe that climate change is man-made. About 38 percent of GOP moderates say human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels, causes climate change, and only 16 percent of conservatives agree with that. (Read more)

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