A new Gallup poll shows a couple of very interesting developments. As graphed below the number of Americans that think the witnessed rise in global average temperatures is caused by human pollution has risen to an all-time high, at 65 percent – a jump from 55 last year:

The number of Americans that ‘perceive global warming as a serious threat’ is smaller, yet also steadily growing, from 32 percent in 2010 to 41 percent in 2016.

A couple of years ago we published another poll, showing also in Europe the “anti-hype” peaked around Copenhagen, 2009.

The percentage of Americans that express ‘concern about climate change’ tends to fluctuate a bit more than the other indicators. Now 64 percent of Americans worry a great deal or fair amount about climate change, a rise from 55 percent last year. Previous peaks were 66 percent in 2008 (between Katrina and Kopenhagen) and around the turn of the century (after Kyoto, but before climate became such a partisan issue).

Republican climate concern rising fastest 

What is particularly interesting in this statistic, is that according to the poll the concern about climate change is rising across all political constituancies, but now faster (annual rise 9 percent) among Republican and independent voters, than among Democrats (up 6 percent).

What is also American and a great scientific institution that we all owe a lot to, is NASA. NASA has the best satellite coverage and therefore the best data in the world of global temperature statistics. Their latest update looks like this.

Indeed, you can’t deny reality forever.

Further reading:

• Scientist urges colleagues to fight bad media standards
• There´s scientific truth to ´truthiness´

© Rolf Schuttenhelm | www.bitsofscience.org