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CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, US, November 8, 2006
(Refocus Weekly)
Residents of the United States rank climate
change as the country’s most pressing environmental problem,
compared with a sixth-place ranking in a 2003 survey by MIT.
Three-quarters of respondents feel the government should do more
to deal with global warming, and individuals were willing to spend
their own money to help, according to 1,200 people who were surveyed
in 2003 and a follow-up survey in September of this year. The
Massachusetts Institute of Technology undertook the original survey
to determine what people thought about carbon capture & storage, and
found that 90% had never heard of CCS. The 2006 survey showed
similar results.
One question asked what the top priority should be if the federal
Department of Energy had US$10 billion to spend, and the top
response (52%) called for ‘new energy sources: solar, wind or
biomass,’ up from the 48% level recorded in 2003. ‘Anti-terrorism &
security’ was second priority at 28%, down from the earlier ranking,
with ‘new oil & gas reserves’ in third spot with 25% of support.
Energy efficiency and conservation were lower, with nuclear power,
hydropower and more energy efficient buildings garnering less than
5% each.
Solar was the technology most likely to be used in a plan to address
global warming, with 83% favouring the technology, followed by
energy-efficient appliances and cars, and wind energy in fourth
spot. When provided with information on costs and current use of
various technologies, support for renewables increased although the
information explained that using solar and wind power would increase
annual household electricity costs to $4,000 from $1,200.
Understanding of climate change and mitigation technologies showed
little change between 2003 and 2006, according to the pollsters. In
terms of technology preferences, most still recommend using more
wind and solar and increasing efficiency, but more now are willing
to consider CCS and nuclear as possible approaches.
“While terrorism and the war in Iraq are the main issues of national
concern, there’s been a remarkable increase in the American public’s
recognition of global warming and their willingness to do something
about it,” says Stephen Ansolabehere of MIT. “It’s not that people
have learned something fundamental about the science, but they’ve
come to understand that this problem is real.”
“It takes a prolonged discussion of a complex topic like this really
to move public concern, and what’s happened over the past three
years has got to continue,” he adds.
The environment continues to rank in the middle of a list of ‘most
important issues’ facing the U.S. today although, among ten
environmental problems, global warming (or climate change) now tops
the list. Half of respondents put global warming in first or second
place while, in 2003, destruction of ecosystems, water pollution and
toxic waste were higher priorities.
The survey indicates an increased sense that global warming is an
established problem, with 60% of 2006 respondents agreeing that
there is sufficient evidence to warrant some action. In the latest
survey, 28% said it is a serious problem, up from 17% in 2003.
Respondents are more willing to spend their own money to do
something about the problem, with the 2003 results showing that
people would pay an average of $14 more per month on electricity
bills to solve global warming, compared with $21 more per month on
the 2006 survey. Officials say $21 for each of the 100 million homes
in the U.S. would mean $25 billion per year.
The research was supported by the MIT Carbon Sequestration
Initiative.
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