Do The Green Thing: Climate scepticism 'on the rise'

Oh terrific - now less people in Britain think global warming is really happening and don't believe it's caused by human activity.

Between November 2009 and February 2010, 10% more people (in a sample of 1,001 British adults) didn't think climate change was happening. And the number who thought it was real and "largely man-made" was down from 41% to 26%.

75% of people thought that climate change was happening, but of those 1/3 thought the consequences had been exaggerated (it was 1/5 in November).

Part of the explanation for the sharp swing may be high profile media coverage of sceptic-fuelling incidents like the hacked emails from climatologists at the University of East Anglia, or the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) mistakenly claiming that Himalayan glaciers could disappear by 2035.

Even perhaps the 'cognitive dissonance' (confusion sown from two contradictory ideas) caused sense of failure at the Copenhagen summit."How could all those world leaders get together and nothing much happen if it was really that urgent", would be an understandable question.

But surely the biggest factor in disbelieving the concept of global warming' has been the big freeze over many parts of the Northern hemisphere this winter. Perhaps understandably many people may have found it hard to reconcile the fact that extreme weather conditions are caused by 'climate change' and that freezing weather is part of the overall warming of global temeratures.

Either way it's damn depressing news and pretty clear evidence that the curent strategies and tactics for communicating the realities and benefits of low-carbon living are not being effectively communicated.

[Spotted on BBC News]

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In: climate sceptics, global warming, climate change, IPCC, Anglia University, temperature, Copenhagen

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13 comments

I believe that you missed a significant point. There is also a sense that big money is being made in the world community under the guise of climate change. Some notable climate change "leaders" or charlatans as I like to refer to them as have become mega rich selling their elixir. I believe that we can redirect the conversation though. First, treat your fellow human being with decency and respect. Treat our audience as a "thinking" body. People are not stupid and many of the global community initiatives are self-serving and corrupt. People sense it and their suspicions are right on! This is why I like the green thing web site so much. We need to reclaim the platform and appeal to our brothers and sisters on a higher level. Caring for the Earth, not only for us but for generations to come, is simply the right thing to do. We need leader sin the green community to come clean about some important areas, apologize for the misinformation and utter confusion, but implore people to understand the basic message is still viable, accurate and true. People will respond to a honest message. On my web site www.thebelist.com we are teaching our readers to reject the sensational and the propaganda and to use their heads to get informed and committed! Clearly, we need to take big steps to protect the environment I just do not want to here others blame the general populace for "not getting it". Do you blame them?

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caroltufts 6 months ago.

MATT PRESCOTT ON FACEBOOK: "People cling to what they know and are profoundly frightened of change. This is why we need bold leaders who speak about change with confidence, rather than trepidation. Once a country becomes enormously rich simply by going low carbon a lot of the denial will drop away. Sadly, this might come too late for the places of the world that are already marginal in terms of their sustainability and ability to support their predicted populations. Australia is a very dynamic place, blessed with vast solar resources, etc but has far, far bigger problems than the UK when it comes to securing its long-term viability due to already high temperatures, limited rainfall, dryland salinity and sea level rise."

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

I was in the bank the other day and overheard a conversation by two adult women saying that the weather was so cold, what happened to global warming. I think its lack of education that causes such ignorance!

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pureplanetrecycling 6 months ago.

NEIL GIBB ON FACEBOOK: "I wonder if this might be a case of denial caused by the overwhelming implications of what it will take to change, a bit like smoking (I believe the percentage of people who still smoke is not much less than this number)... Living in Melbourne, where the bush has become incendiary, farms unworkable, and reservoirs and once lush public parks dirt ... See Morebowls, it is amazing how many people remain skeptical... on a macro scale I wonder if the complete ineffectivess of efforts like Kyoto and Copenhagen have left a lot of people without hope."

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

MATT PRESCOTT ON FACEBOOK: "It is perfectly possible to reduce carbon emission pollution whilst maintaining a very good standard of living. The UK has managed a 12.5% reduction in carbon emission since 1990, by switching from coal to natural gas. By comparison, the US has increased its emissions by 18% over the same period and found itself with an obsolete motor industry...... See More It is going to get increasingly expensive to import, finite fossil fuels with oil and natural gas both likely to be totally used up within 100 years. Waste is not efficient or economic but it is widely tolerated and overlooked, even though increased energy efficiency pays back much faster than arranging ever more supplies of imported energy. Basically, where there is a will, there is a way and more of the available options need to be considered with an open mind."

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

LOLA CHANGE ON FACEBOOK: "Problem is we don't think as a species. Too many of us think as individuals, and think short term at that too. And we are not rational. We want our cakes and eat them too. To many what they aspire to seems perfectly reasonable: family, a prosperous life, pleasure, security. Doesn't seem too much to ask for."

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

MATT PRESCOTT ON FACEBOOK: "Daily, seasonal and annual cycles will continue to occur whatever the people at UEA and/or the sceptics say. Winters will continue to be wintery and days will continue to be followed by nights ;) The fundamental issues associated with greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere remain, unresolved and ignored."

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

GILES DOUGLAS ON FACEBOOK: "Poor science @ UEA or the cold winter?"

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

MATT PRESCOTT ON FACEBOOK: "I think this means that our politicians will have to find the courage to act without a unanimous mandate from 100% of the public. A majority of people were against the war in Iraq so they don't seem to have any qualms about acting, when it suits them... The 75% of people who do accept the science of climate change should not be ignored, for the sake of a vocal minority. ... See more... See More Personally, I feel that all of this talk about someone, magically, creating the space for politicians to act is totally bogus. Winning an election gives a politician the best possible mandate to act on our behalf and pretty much everyone in government knows what they should be doing. They just haven't got the guts to do what is required, in advance of predictable climate catastrophes hitting us, and are waiting for disasters to make what is necessary easier for them to push through. I think this state of affairs is very sad and that we are so stupid as a species that we will all be losers, when the inevitable shifts in climate hit."

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

Of course I agree with all that Matt - but we'd all rather see the situation change than blogging "I told you so". The policy action needed to avert the worst kind of catastrophe will be v hard without a public mandate. And that seems to be heading backwards!

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andyh 6 months ago.

Matt Prescott on Facebook: "public opinion will always fluctuate, but the science IS getting more robust. The concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are increasing year-on-year and billions of tonnes of fossil fuels are continuing to be burnt each year. All of the bickering over who has said what will not change the fundamental physics associated with the problems we face. ... "

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

Marcus Romer on Facebook: "Flat earthers"

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

Matt Prescott on Facebook: "it's worth pointing out that only 25% of the people in this poll don't accept climate science. 75% of people do accept the science."

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wordontheweb 6 months ago.

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