New poll shows Americans ready to act on climate change
Could the heads finally be coming out of the sand? We're always a little skeptical of polling numbers, but let's hope this trend continues:
Ninety percent of Democrats, 80 percent of independents and 60 percent of Republicans said immediate action was required to curb the warming of the atmosphere and deal with its effects on the global climateH/T to Josh Zaharoff at the Common Blog.
TAGS: climate change, global warming, Government Policy, Kevin Grandia, new york times, New York Times, US, us poll
A Mile Wide, and An Inch Deep
Here’s the part of the poll you left out:
“By large margins, respondents opposed an increase in pump prices of $2 a gallon, or even $1, to deal with environmental and energy-supply concerns.”
So, contrary to your spin, what the poll actually shows, is that Americans are not ready to act.
My spin?
Did you read the next scentence? "Three-quarters said they would be willing to pay more for electricity generated by renewable sources like solar or wind energy."
Pump prices are going to continue to go up regardless of action on climate change, so the point is moot.
To quote the story again: "The negative view of new gasoline taxes may reflect the wide expectation that pump prices will continue to increase regardless of government action. More than 80 percent foresee higher prices in coming months, with many citing the Iraq war as a primary cause. Most respondents said they did not expect that any withdrawal of American troops from Iraq would cause prices to fall."
The interesting point is this one: "Nearly half of those polled also said they did not believe that their fellow Americans would be willing to change driving habits to save gasoline or reduce the production of heat-trapping gases,"
This is a big challenge to changing consumer behavior. As long as someone else drives a Hummer, the guy riding his bike is going to feel somewhat duped.
Please read th story before making claims of "spin" please.
PR shill boldly speaks out against people getting "duped"
“As long as someone else drives a Hummer, the guy riding his bike is going to feel somewhat duped.”
So you think this guy on his bicycle feels duped knowing that someone, somewhere is driving a mythical Hummer? Just think how duped he must feel knowing that someone else flies around in his private jet and lives in a mansion that consumes twenty times the national average household electricity?
Do you think bicycle guy would feel duped knowing someone else rides around in a vehicle which certainly pollutes more than an entire fleet of Hummers? Say a giant luxurious diesel rock-star tour bus?
And if the mere existence of a Hummer somewhere would make the guy on a bicycle feel somewhat duped — then how duped would he feel, knowing that there is a self-styled hippie Internet money-laundering tycoon who maintains no less than three mansions?
Oh, I’m sorry. I believe I interrupted your magnificent sermon about “changing consumer behavior[sic]”?
Do continue.
Finally, something nearly substantive from eco-snitler
Agreed, I'd love to see
The thing is that when gas
I figure lower income folks,