Local survey shows views on climate change

By Adam Gohn

There are a number of issues upon which intelligent people can disagree. For centuries, intellectuals have debated such issues as the existence of God, the origin of the universe and the meaning of life. In such cases, opposing viewpoints may be intelligible and rest largely on what the individual assumes to be factual evidence for their respective position.

However, when discussing the issue of climate change, a consensus exists among the world's experts regarding the factual evidence that relates to the problem, its cause and how to address it. As Naomi Oreskes states in the academic journal Science, "Politicians, economists, journalists and others may have the impression of confusion, disagreement or discord among climate scientists, but that impression is incorrect."

Despite a consensus among atmospheric and climate scientists and scientists as a whole, many everyday people have found it difficult to accept or have outright denied the existence of a scientific consensus regarding the existence of climate change, its causes and the consequences thereof.

There are a number of studies that attempt to measure the public opinion as it relates to this issue. A 2005 PIPA/Knowledge Networks Poll reported that merely 52 percent of Americans believed there to be a scientific consensus regarding climate change. A 2008 Pew Research Center study showed that only 71 percent of Americans believe there is "solid evidence" of global warming.

The consequences of this are far from trivial, as the decisions we make every day profoundly affect our climate. As a Southeast Missouri resident, I decided to address this issue at a local level. Thus, I conducted a study on the perceptions of Southeast Missouri residents toward climate change. The results elicited several surprising results, a few of which I will now discuss further.

First, more than 96 percent of the respondents think that the climate is changing. However, this figure includes respondents that view climate change as a natural phenomenon as well as those who judge it to be a process induced by human activity. When asked what the respondent thought was the primary cause of climate change, roughly 47 percent answered "greenhouse gas emissions." While this response reflects the scientific consensus, other proposed causes resulting from human activity do not. What is important to note, despite misunderstanding the cause, is that an overwhelming majority (76 percent) believe climate change is driven by some form of human activity.

On the other hand, roughly 74 percent of the respondents do not think there is a scientific consensus among climate scientists regarding the cause of climate change. What's more, almost 39 percent do not think that there is even a scientific consensus that the climate is changing. This suggests an interesting discrepancy since more than 96 percent of the surveyed respondents think the climate is changing and more than 76 percent believe that humans have contributed to the rate at which the climate is changing.

The fact that more respondents think that humans have contributed to climate change than believe there is a scientific consensus regarding the same issue is puzzling. This discrepancy may be caused by the agenda-driven campaign of the climate change skeptics who have orchestrated an effort to undermine the public perception regarding the scientific consensus.

Another goal of this study was to better understand where local people acquire their information regarding climate change. Based on the information I collected, the majority of respondents get their information from television (35 percent). Unfortunately, no respondent indicated "journal articles" as their source of information. Perhaps if journal articles were the primary source of information, many of the misconceptions and inconsistencies would be rejected, as this is where any relevant scientific debate would take place. Additionally, the figures suggest a disconnect between what relevant scientists publish and what the mainstream media reports.

It is clear that the public has a variety of misconceptions regarding this important issue. However, it is encouraging to see a large majority of everyday citizens acknowledging that the climate is changing and indicating that we have affected the rate at which our climate is changing. Undoubtedly, our impact has not been positive. The greenhouse gases we contribute to the atmosphere have violently disrupted our climate's natural balance.

It is clear that area residents are concerned about climate change and that the time has come to address this issue at a local level. We can make small changes that have large impacts on our carbon footprint. We can walk or bike to our destination when possible. We can recycle. We can turn out the lights when we leave the room. Together, our area can make a difference on a global scale. What this study reveals is that the public is aware of the problem.

Local residents may also be receptive to the community taking organized steps to address it. The time for the Cape Girardeau area to start doing this was yesterday.

Adam Gohn is a student at Southeast Missouri State University.