From aboard the Louis S. St-Laurent, Canadian scholar Thomas Homer-Dixen writes,
"It is possible that the changes I’m seeing from the ship deck are the beginning of the climate shock that will awaken us to the danger we face."
A very thoughtful essay on the potential teachable moments associated with large disasters. In this case, devastating climate shock.
Read more: "Disaster at the Top of the World".
Thomas Homer-Dixon is a professor of global systems at the ...
The Woods Institute for the Environment at Standford University recently published findings from a July survey of 600 randomly selected adults from Maine, Massachusetts and Florida: New State Surveys Affirm Americans' Belief in Global Warming, Support for Government Action on Climate Change (August 2010).
The survey found that the majority of residents believe the Earth is getting warmer and humans are a key contributor. Findings also include a willingness by the public to implement government policies to reduce emissions. The survey also reveals that the public would support some type of personal tax if...
By Cara Pike, June 11th, 2010
I was recently asked to lead a discussion with the Connect US Network around framing the climate debate in light of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, ClimateGate and the Gulf Oil Spill. What are the best themes, frames and messages that can help promote climate policies and programs during such uncertain political times?
I’ve been tracking environmental attitudes and public opinion on global warming since starting the Social Capital Project in 2005. I’m interested in the long term strategic communications challenges and opportunities that are often overlooked when current events are all-consuming and one poll after another is being reported on in the media without reference to how...
Anthony Leiserowitz, Ph.D., Director, Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, released another paper that examines the impact of Climategate on public perceptions of climate change and climate scientists.
Here are the major findings:
Fortunately, they found that Americans, overall, continued to...
According to two important reports that came out this week public opinion is finally rising again after a year of decline.
Climate Change in the American Mind: Americans' Global Warming Beliefs and Attitudes in June 2010
Climate Change in the American Mind: Public Support for Climate & Energy Policies in June 2010
...
Dear Friends,
Today we are releasing our latest report: Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming. In brief, we found that there is a significant gap between Americans’ conservation attitudes and their actual behaviors. For example:
•88 percent of Americans say it is important to recycle at home, but only 51 percent “often” or “always” do;
•81 percent say it is important to use re-usable shopping bags, but only 33 percent “often” or “always” do;
•76 percent say it is important to buy locally grown food, but only 26 percent “often” or “always” do;
•76 percent say it is important to walk or bike instead of driving, but...
Dear Friends,
Today we are releasing the second wave of results from our recent national survey. This report finds that, despite the recent drops in public beliefs and concern about global warming, a large majority of Americans—regardless of political affiliation—support the passage of federal climate and energy policies. These include support for:
Dear Friends,
Today we are releasing the results of a new national survey on public responses to climate change. This report focuses on public beliefs and attitudes and finds that public concern about global warming has dropped sharply since the fall of 2008:
In line with these shifting beliefs, there has been an increase in the number of Americans who...
Dear Friends,
Happy New Year! Thank you for your interest in the work of the Office of Strategic Initiatives and the Project on Climate Change here at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
A few recent highlights to ring in the new year :
The Yale Project on Climate Change has made great strides, including cutting-edge research on the public's understanding and responses to climate change, the convening of two workshops on climate science for broadcast meteorologists, publication of the online Yale Forum for Climate Change & the Media, and a major initiative with science museums across the country to help Americans understand the local causes, consequences, and solutions to...
You may not like what these guys have to say but at least they are exploring THE toughest climate change question "why after decades of public education and the growth of scientific certainty aren't we doing something to fix climate change?"
Last month, the Pew Research Center released its latest poll of public attitudes on global warming. On its face, the news was not good: Belief that global warming is occurring had declined from 71 percent in April of 2008 to 56 percent in October — an astonishing drop in just 18 months. The belief that global warming is human-caused declined from 47 percent to 36 percent.
...
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