“The United States is in a sense climate illiterate still,” Hans Schellnhuber, the director of Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said earlier this week.

He wasn’t just comparing the US to the EU, however. Even developing nations seem to know more about the issue and the potential results of inaction.

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In a recent Zogby telephone poll conducted to gauge public opinion on the the Waxman-Markey climate bill, the results showed that a majority of Americans are finally behind climate legislation. The Waxman-Markey climate bill sets out to limit greenhouse gases in the US in order to combat climate change. The bill was just narrowly passed in congress last June by a vote of 219-212.

In the recent past, Americans have shown no interest in changing policy to limit greenhouse gasses, yet shockingly the results of this latest poll show that a whopping 71% of Americans support this bill. The poll also showed that Americans of every age, income group, and political affiliation support the bill much more than previously thought. An enormous win for those of us who want to see reduction in greenhouse gasses.

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An astonishing new survey has revealed that more than 60% of Americans would refuse to stop using their iPods, even if they knew it was seriously damaging the environment.

The survey, which quizzed more than 1,000 people across the US, found that, whilst the majority of Americans are making efforts to buy greener products, most wouldn’t do so if it meant compromising on convenience or comfort.

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The U.S. spends 2-3 times more than European countries per capita on health care, but several recent studies showed that the health of Americans was worse than that of the English. This study was one of the first to examine the difference between EU countries and the U.S. in terms of diabetes or high blood sugar, stroke, heart disease, hypertension, cancer (excluding skin cancer), and lung disease.  The fact that poor Europeans have equal access to primary and preventive care and education would logically lead to a health gap between poor Europeans and poor Americans.  However, the study finds that rich Americans are less healthy than rich Europeans as well.

The study discusses some possible reasons why Americans are less healthy than Europeans:

Several factors may explain why Americans have worse health than Europeans.  Although major risk factors such as smoking are similarly prevalent, the obesity epidemic is more advanced in the US than in Europe.  In addition, Europe’s social and healthcare policies are more comprehensive and contrast with a marked focus on specialist care in the US.

In addition, one has to wonder about walkable cities, less time spent in traffic, stricter environmental regulations, better protection from toxic chemicals, the banning of Genetically Modified Foods, and a diet that is not centered on a food pyramid that was heavily influenced by agribusiness interests.

Scott Cooney is the author of Build a Green Small Business:  Profitable Ways to Become an Ecopreneur (McGraw-Hill).

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*Am J Public Health.  2009;99:540-548.  Health Disadvantage in US Adults aged 50 to 74 years:  A Comparison of the Health of Rich and Poor Americans With That of Europeans.  Avendano, Mauricio, PhD., M. Maria Glymour, ScD., James Banks, PhD., and Johan P. Mackenbach, PhD.

The poll — for which The Nature Conservancy provided input and advice — found that 53% of those surveyed have taken steps to green their lives.

But it also found a substantial lack of knowledge about how to go green — and skepticism about whether greening one’s life makes a difference to the environment:

• 34% of those surveyed said they hadn’t changed their lifestyle because they “did not know what to do.”
• 29% of respondents believe that greening their lifestyle won’t make any significant difference on the environment.

“This poll shows that green living is certainly at the forefront of our minds,” says Stephanie Meeks, the Conservancy’s acting president and CEO.

“Yet people are getting lost in the maze of information on how to lessen our environmental impact. The bottom line is that even the smallest lifestyle change can have significant impact in the long run.”

Recycling and Paying Bills Online, But Not Changing Light Bulbs

While recycling is widespread in the United States and 73% of those polled are paying their bills online to save paper, other often-recommended ways to green your life are going largely ignored:

• 5% are driving less by combining errands, walking more, etc.
• 4% have reduced their utility use.
• 3% have purchased hybrid cars.
• 3% have changed out incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent ones.

Yet if every American home switched out just one incandescent light bulb for a compact fluorescent one, the United States would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for an entire year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

“Making small changes to help save the planet can help your pocketbook as well,” adds Meeks. “In the case of compact fluorescent light bulbs, you’re paying more on the front end, but the cost savings in the long run will beat out the incandescent bulbs, hands down.”

Other poll results:

• 49% are trying to buy locally-produced food and/or goods.
• 47% are buying green household products.
• 39% are bringing their own reusable bags to stores instead of using paper or plastic.
• 16% are carpooling.

Optimism on Environmental Issues

The poll also found noticeable optimism on environmental issues among the American public. Seventy-two% of the poll’s 2,605 respondents believe their personal actions are significant to the health of the environment.

And although only 42% of U.S. adults were initially familiar with the phrase “environmental sustainability,” two-thirds believe that it is possible to live in an environmentally sustainable way.

The phrase “environmental sustainability” was more familiar to younger poll respondents than older ones. More than 45% of those age 18-43 understood the term’s meaning, while only 30% of those aged 63 and older knew the term.

The Nature Conservancy Helps You Go Green

To help cut through all the noise, The Nature Conservancy offers easy ways to make science-based green changes in your life:

• Check out our Everyday Environmentalist home page to find a list of innovative and easy changes you can make to help save the planet.
• Use the Conservancy’s carbon footprint calculator to determine your carbon footprint — and find simple ways to reduce it.
• Consider offsetting your carbon emissions by participating in The Conservancy’s voluntary carbon offset program.