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Almost all climatologists agree that climate change is happening now and that human activity is the main cause. But according to a survey by Yale University and George Mason, just 15% of Americans are aware of this fact.
The latest report prepared by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Assessment (IPCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, concludes that 100% of the observed warming since 1950 is due to human activity. Numerous studies also show that 97% or more of climatologists who publish active publications agree that the global warming trends observed over the last century are due to the greenhouse gases released in the past century. atmosphere by human activity.
The response to authority does not prove that climate change itself is real, but this consensus is in fact based on verifiable, published and peer-reviewed scientific data. On the contrary, the fact that thousands of professionals and experts in their field agree that climate change is a reality is so huge should prompt a person to think differently. twice, at the very least. After all, the vast majority of doctors agree that smoking causes cancer – it is an undisputed scientific fact – and the public seems to be fully aware of it and relies on consensus.
So why is the American public so divided on the issue?
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According to a study conducted in 2017 by Yale, only 53% of Americans think that climate change is caused by human activity. In other words, one person in two thinks that the direction taken by the climate is quite natural or impossible to influence by the hand of man.
The reason for this polarization is multiple. On the one hand, the media play an active role in making sure that climate change sounds like a questionable one. The largest broadcast networks have collectively broadcast climate change emissions or information of no more than 50 minutes for the whole of 2016. This is the time that the planet and the livelihoods of millions of species relate. When they talk about climate change or events from the perspective of climate change, there are often no real scientists invited to the discussion or, worse, they denounce climate denialism. On the other hand, you have politicians who (without any foundation) speak very loudly about the fact that climate change is an unresolved scientific issue or outright deny it.
The country's president, for example, is one of the most vocal advocates of climate change, saying that "the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese to make US manufacturing uncompetitive", and later that "global warming is a total and very expensive hoax!" According to a list compiled by Vox, Donald Trump tweeted skepticism about climate change 115 times (as of June 2017). Donald Trump, who claims to have "a natural instinct for science," said the following in the "60 minutes" section of CBS:
"We have scientists who disagree with [human-caused global warming] … you should show me the [mainstream] scientists because they have a very big political agenda. "
With such statements bombarding the public, it is no wonder that people are divided on the issue, although many listen to reason if they are more aware of the consensus of the experts. According to a study by the Yale program on climate change communication, only about 15% of Americans are aware that the consensus of climate experts exceeds 90%. According to the expert consensus perceived by the public, the authors ended up with a categorization "Six Americas" as follows:
"The Alarmed are fully convinced of the reality and the seriousness of climate change and are already taking individual measures, towards consumers and policies to deal with them. The Concerns are also convinced that global warming is occurring and is a serious problem, but they have not yet addressed the problem personally. "
"Three other Americas – the cautious, the disengaged and the dubious – represent different stages of understanding and acceptance of the problem, and none are actively involved. Final America – The Dismissive is confident that this does not happen and actively involves itself as an opponent of the national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "
Even "alarmed" and "concerned" Americans are not fully aware of the consensus of the experts. Only 84% of people in the Alarmed group and 73% of those in the affected category say they know that 97% of scientists agree that climate change is caused by humans.
According to The Guardian, which cites a 2017 study, Americans who heard about the 97% consensus were much more likely to accept the reality of climate change – and this was especially true for the Conservatives. This shows that, despite the many smoke screens thrown by Trump and his acolytes, people still trust the experts. The important thing now is to get this message across.
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