Green Options

According to a recent survey, more than three quarters of African Americans would back federal policy action on climate change.

In early October, pollsters commissioned by a coal industry group interviewed 600 individuals nationwide about their attitudes towards coal. But pollsters did not seek a random survey, rather they sought the preferences of so-called “opinion elites” nationwide.

As negotiations get under way in earnest at the two-week United Nations Climate Conference in Poland, recent surveys suggest a majority of people in both developing and industrialized nations seek substantive action on global warming and want their governments to agree on carbon emission targets.

A study commissioned by the bank HSBC which set out to gauge public opinion about climate change in nine of the world’s major markets reveals that people in developing countries are more concerned about the potential impacts of climate change, and more willing to do something about it.

The study, which questioned a thousand people in each of the nine countries (UK, France, Germany, USA, Mexico, India, Brazil, China and Hong Kong) reveals much about how people perceive the threat of climate change, and the role of government and the individual in addressing the problem.

“Concern about climate
change is high, especially in
developing economies, and
so is people’s individual
commitment to address it.” - HSBC Climate Confidence Index

The difference in opinion can be stark. For example, in the United States of America where per capita CO2 output is very high, only 23% of people questioned believed they were making a significant effort to help reduce the effects of climate change. Contrast this with 43% in Mexico which has less than 1/4 of the CO2 output per capita.

President-elect Obama has made it clear that investing in clean energy and building a new energy economy will be a centerpiece of his agenda once he takes office. And the results of a recent Zogby poll suggests he has the mandate to do it.

As the Barack Obama Summer World Tour winds up today in London, it is not hard to see the presumptive Democratic nomminee’s rock-star appeal is not bound by the shores of the United States. But the 200,000 Germans who showed up to see Obama in Berlin can’t vote for him this November. So does it matter? Apparently, yes.

The poll finds, the American public overwhelmingly believes (76% to 19%) that policymakers should focus on investing in new energy technologies including renewable fuels and more efficient vehicles rather than expanding exploration and drilling for more oil.

At a Tuesday White House press conference that focused mostly on the current economic downturn, President Bush indicated that he has no intention of calling on Americans to conserve gasoline.

In honor, or dishonor, of Earth Day, a Gallup poll is conducted each year about Americans’ opinions on environmental issues. For 19 years, Americans have been asked to rate their personal environmental concerns and what level of action is required to solve these problems. Despite Al Gore and all of his efforts, public opinion has changed very little in almost two decades on this important global issue.

According to the Gallup poll, 61% of Americans say the effects of global warming have already begun, and they are right. March 2008 recorded the warmest temperatures ever over land surfaces of the world, even though the United States saw average temperatures. Despite these statistic, Americans are not personally worried. In 1990, 35% of Americans worried a “great deal” about global warming. Today, that number has only risen to 37%.

One thing that has increased is Americans’ understanding of global warming, which has increased from 53% reported 16 years ago to 80% currently; however, this understanding has not prompted action. Only 34 % of Americans believe drastic action is needed to curb the effects of global warming, but thankfully governors disagree. On Friday, 18 states signed a decree to reduce greenhouse gases due to federal impotence. “In the absence of federal leadership the states have stepped up,” said Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. For example, by 2050 California plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources by 80 percent.