Continuing my tour of America’s most prestigious learning institutions, I now turn to Andy Leiserowitz, Director of the Yale Project on Climate Change, for more insights into the green psychology of the American people. The following are 10 summary findings from the American Opinions on Global Warming survey initiated by Leiserowitz in 2007:
- A large majority of the American public is personally convinced that global warming is happening (71%).
- 69 percent of Americans now believe that global warming is caused mainly by human activities (57%), or caused equally by humans and natural changes (12%), while only 29 percent believe it is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment.
- Americans are evenly split, however, on their level of worry about global warming, with 50 percent personally worried either a great deal (15%) or a fair amount (35%) vs. 50 percent worried only a little (28%) or not at all (22%). These levels of personal worry are due in part to the fact that many Americans believe global warming is a serious threat to other species, people and places far away, but not so serious of a threat to themselves, their own families, or local communities.
- 48 percent of Americans now believe that global warming is already having dangerous impacts on people (30%) or will within the next ten years (18%).
- A large majority of Americans (62%) now believe that global warming is an urgent threat requiring immediate and drastic action. For example, a large majority of Americans (68%) now favor, at least in principle, an international treaty that goes far beyond the Kyoto Protocol, to require the United States to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide 90% by the year 2050.
- A very large majority of Americans (85%) support a fuel economy standard of 35 miles per gallon, even if a new car thus cost up to $500 more to buy. 82 percent of Americans support legislation that requires utilities to produce at least 20% of their electricity from renewables, even if it cost the average household an extra $100 a year. Additionally, 89 percent of Americans would support a requirement that all new homes and commercial buildings meet higher energy efficiency standards.
- However, this survey also found continued strong opposition to carbon taxes, such as higher taxes on electricity, with 71 percent of Americans strongly (49%) or somewhat opposed (22%), or higher taxes on gasoline, with 67 percent of Americans strongly (48%) or somewhat opposed (19%). Thus paradoxically, while Americans strongly support national and international action on global warming, and are willing to pay more for a car and on their yearly electric bill, they remain adamantly opposed to higher gasoline or electricity taxes.
- Global warming is also emerging as an important issue in the presidential election. Survey respondents were asked: “If the presidential election were held today, how important would a candidate’s position on global warming be in your decision about whom to vote for?” A surprising 40 percent of Americans said a candidate’s position would be either extremely (16%) or very important (24%), with an additional 35 percent saying it would be somewhat important.
- This survey asked respondents if they could personally take actions to help reduce global warming and found that 82 percent of Americans strongly (55%) or somewhat agreed (27%). Further, 69 percent of Americans said they strongly (49%) or somewhat disagreed (20%) that the action of a single person won’t make any difference in reducing global warming.
- When asked if the United States could take actions to help reduce global warming, 87 percent of Americans strongly (66%) or somewhat agreed (21%). Finally, 76 percent said they strongly (59%) or somewhat disagreed (17%) that the actions of a single country like the United States won’t make any difference in reducing global warming.
Echoing research from M. Oppenheimer and Daniel Gilbert, these findings confirm what is now becoming clear: Americans believe in the seriousness of global warming as a global threat, but do not see it as a cause for immediate and personal concern. Hence their ambivalence towards the kind of actions they are willing to support and undertake. They are not yet willing to make daily sacrifices, in the form of straight carbon taxes on gas or electricity. It is interesting that the majority believe in their ability to personally take action and make a difference. They could, but they are not. The challenge is really, how to persuade people that global warming is a serious threat to them personally.
PIASTRA ELETTRICA CON MOTORE STIRLING CONTRO L’INQUINAMENTO A MILANO
100-milioni-di-tonnellate.blogspot.com/2007/12/piastra-elettrica-con-motore-stirling.html
Qual’è secondo te il metodo più economico per scaldare un piccolo appartamento a Milano senza inquinare?
Secondo me il metodo più economico consiste nell’acquistare una piastra elettrica e applicargli sopra un Motore Stirling collegato ad una turbina.
Con il Motore Sterling si riuscirebbe a recuperare circa il 70% dell’energia consumata dalla piastra per scaldare, e quindi si ridurrebbe il costo del riscaldamento del 70%.
Il Motore Stirling si muoverebbe grazie al calore della piastra e il suo movimento potrebbe essere trasformato in energia elettrica.
Quindi la piastra produrrebbe calore che farebbe muovere il Motore Stirling che azionerebbe la turbina producendo energia elettrica.
Il calore rimarrebbe chiuso dentro l’appartamento. La piastra elettrica non consumerebbe metano, gasolio e quindi non inquinerebbe l’aria.
L’energia elettrica per far funzionare la piastra potrebbe essere prodotta in centrali a dinamite, a biomassa, magnetiche, gravitazionali o altri metodi free energy.
Abitando in montagna, il motore Stirling potrebbe essere semplicemente appoggiato su una stufa a legna.
Un altro metodo molto buono è il fornello ad idrogeno di Schietti con Motore Stirling.
Conosco poi anche tanti altri metodi che non ti sto ad elencare ma che vanno tutti bene come l’impianto di riscaldamento condominiale Schietti-Camera
L’importante è capire che si tratta di un complotto globale di sadomasochisti inglesi che intenzionalmente fanno respirare aria inquinata ai bambini di Milano per ridere quando si ammalano con il mal di gola e la tosse.
La polizia nonostante ripetute denunce non risponde e si è schierata con la Moratti e i petrolieri.
Invito tutti i miei concittadini milanesi a Tavarone il 12 Gennaio a respirare un po’ d’aria buona per discutere insieme della produzione di bioetanolo in Val di Vara ed investire i nostri risparmi in free energy ed altri prodotti etici della Banca Etica della Val di Vara come la piastra elettrica con il Motore Stirling.
Smettila di litigare con i tuoi familiari, con i tuoi parenti, con i tuoi amici, con i tuoi compatrioti e tutti gli altri popoli del mondo aizzato dagli agenti degli inglesi.
Mantieni l’attenzione sulla Regina d’Inghilterra e i suoi parenti. Informati sull’Impero britannico, il Commonwealth e la globalizzazione inglese.
100-milioni-di-tonnellate.blogspot.com
LaM,
Another very good post. Your blog is important! I hope some book agent reads it and asks you to write a book on all this. Really. What you are blogging about needs to shouted fromt he rooftops. — Danny
RE: how to wake people up to the reality of global warming, just a note. Today I got an email from a top scientist at a major California research center, after I asked her what she thought of my polar cities project, and she wrote:
“Dear Danny
I think it is nice to have creative visions of the future, and thinking about polar cities certainly raises a host of interesting issues.
If we think of your work as an exercise in prediction, then I think it somewhat lacking.
However, if the goal is to get people to open up their vision of possible futures, then it seems as if you are having some success.
I am not sure if it is the most efficient way to focus discussion, but it is another novel way of focusing discussion so adds to the overall mix.
Good luck with your quixotic venture !!”
[Danny adds: So yes, just a small minor quixotic venture. But part of a much larger community of bloggers working out solutions to this major major issue: this long emergency we are in!]
Is global warming man made or natural? Take a look at this video and decide for yourself. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6772058898203776825&q=Great+Global+Warming+Swindle+site%3Avideo.google.com&total=24&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2
One thing I think that is not in dispute is our consumption of nonrenewable resources. Our resources are precious and we need to conserve whenever possible. We can conserve our natural resources by using solar power. Two ways are on the horizon that will make solar power affordable to every household. One is Nanosolar and the other is the Citizenre plan. I follow both in my blog at http://www.solarjoules.com.
Thanks Danny. Glad to see that your project is getting some traction.
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