Does YOUR state believe in global warming? Interactive map reveals spread of opinion on climate change across the US
comments
Just over 60 per cent of Americans believe global warming is taking place and nearly half blame humans for the change.
But within the US, opinions on global warming vary wildly between states, local communities, and congressional districts.
People in California, for instance, are far more worried about the warming planet than those in parts of the central US.
Click on the interactive map below to find out which regions think global warming is happening
Now a new interactive map has revealed public opinion in all 50 states, 435 congressional districts and more than 3,000 counties.
To create the map, researchers at Yale University asked people if they believed global warming is happening and whether they were worried.
They were also asked questions such as whether they would support research into renewable energies and what they think about carbon limits.
Nationally, 52 per cent of Americans are worried about global warming. But, as the results show, this national number glosses over the geographic diversity.
Concern about global warming ranges from an estimated low of 38 per cent in Pickett County, Tennessee, to a high of 74 per cent in Washington, D.C.
The results also identify significant variation within states, and one surprising result is Texas.
Here, public concern about climate change ranges from a low of 39 per cent in King County to a high of 61 per cent in Travis County.
Just over 60 per cent of Americans believe global warming is taking place and nearly half blame humans for the change. Pictured are the percentages of people who are worried about climate change, divided by different counties
Concern about global warming ranges from an estimated low of 38 per cent in Pickett County, Tennessee (pictured), to a high of 74 per cent in Washington, D.C.
'Although a majority of people in every state think global warming is happening, this analysis makes it possible to see how much opinions differ within each state,' said Peter Howe of Utah State University, the lead author of the paper.
'These differences are partly due to the fact that different groups often think differently about the issue.
'For example, Hispanics and Latinos tend to be more worried about global warming than other racial or ethnic groups, which can be seen on the map in counties with more Latino residents.'
Hawaii, California, Vermont and Massachusetts are the four states that are most worried by climate change.
Three are coloured in orange, which means that at least 50 per cent of the people in every county are concerned about climate change.
The data used in is based on 12 surveys conducted between 2008 and 2013 by the Yale Project on Climate Communication.
To validate the model, the research team conducted separate surveys in four states and two cities.
They found the estimates were within three percentage points of the independent surveys at the state level and four percentage points at the city level.
'Most of the action to reduce carbon pollution and prepare for climate change impacts is happening at the state and local levels of American society,' said Anthony Leiserowitz, a research scientist at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
'Yet elected officials, the media, educators, and advocates currently know little about the levels of public and political will for climate action at these sub-national levels.
Leiserowitz added that state and local surveys are costly and time-intensive, and as a result most public opinion polling is only done at the national level.
Pictured are the number of adults who are worried about global warming. In Texas, public concern about climate change ranges from a low of 39 per cent in King County to a high of 61 per cent in Travis County (pictured)
Pictured are the number of adults who believe global warming is taking place. The results are divided by congressional district. The researchers say many Americans believe that even if it exists, global warming is not their problem
'This model for the first time reveals the full geographic diversity of public opinion in the United States at these critical levels of decision making,' he said.
Earlier this year, research by the same group the number of people in America who believe climate change isn't happening has risen to 23 percent, up seven percentage points since April 2013.
The researchers also say many Americans believe that even if it exists, global warming is not their problem.
'Over years of research, we have consistently found that, on average, Americans view global warming as a threat distant in space and time – a risk that will affect faraway places, other species, or future generations more than people here and now,' an earlier report by the group said.
'People who prior said don't know are increasingly saying they don't believe it,' said Leiserowitz.
He told Livescience media coverage surrounding the release of the IPCC report in September may be the explanation for the shift.
While the report made a strong case for human-caused climate change, the majority of global media coverage focused on the question of whether there has been a 'pause' in global warming.
'Media frames can be really important in shaping the way people interpret the news,' he said.
The findings divide Americans into six distinct subsets. Sixteen percent are 'alarmed,' sure global warming is happening and concerned about it.
On the opposite end of the spectrum are the 'dismissive,' who comprise about 15 per cent of the public and who almost all see global warming as a conspiracy theory or hoax.
Changing either of these two groups' opinions about climate change is nearly impossible, the report found.
This graph reveals the percentage of people in each state who support funding research into renewable energy sources. New York, Vermont and Illinois are among the states with the highest levels of support
Just over 60 per cent of Americans believe global warming is taking place and nearly half blame humans for the change. But within the US, opinions on global warming vary wildly between states, local communities, and congressional districts. People in California, for instance, are far more worried about the warming planet than those in parts of the central US
Put the internet to work for you.
0 comments:
Post a Comment