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Record Number of Americans See Climate Change As a Current Threat (axios.com)

An anonymous reader shares a report: More Americans are very worried about global warming and say the issue is personally important to them than ever before, according to a new poll released Tuesday. The polling may indicate that extreme weather events -- coupled with a series of grim scientific findings -- over the past year are starting to change peoples' minds about climate change, which could have significant implications for any significant climate legislation passing Congress. The key finding from the new survey from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication is that Americans increasingly view global warming as a present-day threat to them, rather than an issue that will affect future generations. Nearly half of Americans (46%) said they personally experienced the effects of global warming -- a 15-point spike since March 2015.

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  1. Re:Hmm...I just can't think of an example... by Stephan+Schulz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is it then predominantly only the left t

    Nearly everywhere in the world, climate change is a non-partisan issue. Climate change denial is mostly relegated to small, and usually extreme, parties. The US is the great exception.

    There are several reasons, but the root of the general anti-science position of the Republican party originates from peddling to fundamentalist Christian creationist voters. To be able to maintain the more brain-damaged forms of creationism, you need to reject a large part of modern science - and also a large part of the institutions of modern science. Once this "scepticism" has set in, it's easy to extend it to other aspects of science.

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    Stephan

  2. Re:Hmm...I just can't think of an example... by ClickOnThis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Why is it then predominantly only the left that pushes the cataclysmic effects of climate change, while those on the right tend not to see it as a dire threat (if they acknowledge it exists)?

    It's a matter of temperament with each group. At the risk of over-generalizing, leftists support progress, reform, internationalism, whereas rightists support order, tradition, and nationalism. More here.

    Is it the those on the left are just so wise, and those on the right are dumb?

    No and no. There are lots of dumb leftists and smart rightists. As I said, it's more an issue of temperament than intelligence.

    Or is it that the left has been attaching climate change to all of their favorite other ideas, making it even less of an attractive/plausible issue to those on the right?

    The left and the right have been known to agree on many things. Generally they just don't seem to do so on this one. I don't think the right is less inclined to deal with climate change because the left has the opposite view. Rather, they see the effort to deal with climate change as disruptive of a status quo they are comfortable with.

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    If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
  3. Re:Hmm...I just can't think of an example... by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 5, Informative

    Which island nations are losing area, are ending up underwater?

    Miami Beach, FL

  4. Re:Hmm...I just can't think of an example... by burtosis · · Score: 5, Informative

    60% of republicans want Medicare for all, 90% of democrats do too. Even a poll on Fox News bore this out. Yet somehow all the right talking heads on tv say communists are the only ones that want socialized healthcare. The real reason we don't have it, or a lot of the other issues we all agree on is America is a representative democracy that only seems to represent moneyed interests and not citizens.

  5. Re: Hmm...I just can't think of an example... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I like how people discount the measurements and observations thousands of scientists take day in and day out as they apply their PhDs and livelihood to observe what is happening to the world. They have worked full time or more for decades on end to come to these conclusions.

    You think these fucking scientists love being holed up in a shotty little observation pod in Antarctica away from their families the majority of the year? No they're doing it so that they can report to humanity their findings and give us warning and advisement if need be.

    To ignore their warning on the basis of "you just feel they're wrong", or "it's political" is a display of self destructive and ignorant hubris.

    Seriously you'd have to be deluded or have a mental illness to think you know better than the worldwide scientific community. The worst part is your ignorance will destroy the world for our grandchildren.