Most Americans See Climate Change as a Serious Problem

Some of us believed our scientists when they noted warming temperatures and pleadingly warned us, "This is a Problem!"  Some of us believed when we saw photos and videos of vanishing glaciers and fast-changing terrain.  And for some it took a Hurricane Sandy to make it all seem credible.  There are still some, however, who either do not believe in climate change or, if they do, that it is caused by human activity, and they will not be budged from their position, I expect, even if their entire state should be flooded, torn apart, or blown away. The non-believers in change of any kind will always be with us, fueled in their false beliefs by Fox "news" and Rush Limbaugh.  They vote and they support Big Oil lobbyists. We will just have to find a way to work around these stubborn, unyielding holdouts until they die out (or we all go together).

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE A SERIOUS PROBLEM TO 68% of AMERICANS
By Alana Horwitz, Huffington Post

68% of Americans see climate change as a "serious problem," according to a poll released on Friday.

The poll was conducted by Rasmussen on Monday, the day before the U.S. presidential election.

Of the 1,000 likely voters surveyed, 68% said they thought climate change is a somewhat serious or very serious problem. 30% of respondents said it was not a serious problem.

The poll marks a huge shift for Americans. In 2009, a Rasmussen poll showed that only 46% of Americans thought climate change was a serious issue. In 2010, Gallup reported that 48% of Americans thought that the seriousness of global warming was exaggerated.

Friday's poll reflects one released in July by the Washington Post in which 60% of Americans surveyed said they believed climate change was real.

According to Rasmussen, 41% of those who believe in climate change think it's because of human activity. 38% believe global warming is caused by planetary trends.

It's not just American voters that are becoming more convinced that climate change is a real problem. Some Republican politicians are also growing concerned. Earlier this year, New Jersey Governor and once-rumored VP candidate Chris Christie admitted that "climate change is real" and "impacting our state."

One possible factor as to why people's beliefs are changing? The recent extreme weather in the United States. Between Hurricane Sandy, record high temperatures and wildfires across the nation, many people are seeing a connection between the changing weather and the climate.

As New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg put it, "Hurricane Sandy provided a wake-up call about the impacts of climate change. Recent extreme weather and climate events make clear that ignoring climate change will be costly in human, environmental, and economic terms for the United States and the world."