{"id":5051,"date":"2009-10-25T14:04:52","date_gmt":"2009-10-25T20:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=5051"},"modified":"2009-10-25T14:04:52","modified_gmt":"2009-10-25T20:04:52","slug":"disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/disturbing-trends-in-what-americans-believe-about-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Disturbing Trends in What Americans Believe about Climate Change"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/a><\/p>\n The Pew Research Center<\/a> for the People & the Press released results of a major survey<\/a> tracking what people believe about “Global Warming.” \u00a0It is not encouraging! \u00a0Across age, gender, race, political affiliation, and religion there have been declines in the number of people who believe that human activity is involved and increases in the number of people who don’t think it is happening. \u00a0My own demographic (white, male, 54 years old, political Independent, Evangelical Christian) is among the most skeptical, though the Baby Boom slightly bucks the trend for age. \u00a0Some friends and I are working on a strategy to challenge the Church on this issue.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The emerging scientific evidence <\/a>continues to strongly indicate that climate change models are too conservative if anything. \u00a0So why this trend? It would be appealing to cite a “FOX News<\/a>” factor because their audience is the furthest along this road, but the changes in other groups suggests an even broader problem. \u00a0I’ve already argued that making this something about saving polar bears<\/a> is a bad education strategy (its really about starving poor people in places like Africa).<\/p>\n What do you think is going on here? \u00a0Any good ideas for how to counter-act this\u00a0across-the-board rejection of good science? \u00a0As I watch the way that climate change is already effecting agriculture<\/a> this really concerns me. \u00a0It makes it increasingly unlikely that Congress or States<\/a> will pass rational legislation in this area. \u00a0I am saddened to see most farm groups lining up to oppose a cap-and-trade even though it could potentially lead to payments to farmers who sequester carbon by using the best farming practices (no tillage<\/a>, cover crops, controlled wheel traffic<\/a>…).<\/p>\n