UT Poll: Vast majority of Americans back action against climate change

Desdemona Despair

By Bill Dawson
19 February 2016

(Texas Climate News) – Coming just a few weeks after nearly 200 nations agreed in Paris on a sweeping international plan to combat climate change in December, the latest University of Texas Energy Poll has found extremely wide support for such climate action in the U.S. The results were released Thursday.

“We’re seeing strong support for collaborative efforts among nations to combat the effects of climate change,” said Sheril Kirshenbaum, director of the semiannual survey.

A vast majority of respondents, who were surveyed in January, said they supported action against climate change in the latest version of the semiannual UT Energy Poll.

For the first time since the national poll was launched in 2011, participants were provided several statements describing possible U.S. roles in addressing global climate change and asked which one best reflects their own opinion.

The largest number – 43 percent – picked this statement: “Climate change is an urgent threat and all countries need to take action equally.”

However, a greater number – 48 percent combined – selected one of three slightly different statements that each said the U.S. should be doing more than others:

• Twenty-seven percent chose this statement: “Because the U.S. is a global leader, it should set an example by doing more than other nations.”
• Eleven percent selected this one: “The U.S. has a moral obligation to act and should do more than other nations.”
• And 10 percent said this statement best reflected what they think: “Because the U.S. has contributed disproportionately more emissions, it should do more than other nations.”

Only 2 percent of respondents chose “do nothing” as the statement they most agreed with. [more]

UT Poll: Vast majority of Americans backs action against climate change