The Breakthrough Institute

Bloomberg Story on New American Environics Poll

Public Leery of Climate Change Remedies If Energy Costs Rise

By Jim Efstathiou Jr.

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Most Americans see global warming as a problem policy makers should immediately address, unless it increases their energy bills.

Seventy percent of those in a national survey said there is solid evidence that the earth is warming. Nearly that many want the U.S. government to take "immediate action'' on climate change. Public enthusiasm weakens if remedies increase gasoline or electricity prices.

"Support for action on global warming is broad, but not deep,'' said Ted Nordhaus, managing partner at research firm American Environics in an interview. "If proposals are focused primarily on limiting carbon dioxide emissions and making dirty energy sources more expensive, they're going to run into significant political problems.''

About two thirds of likely voters in the survey said they support legislation requiring U.S. industries to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. A measure to do so is being debated in the U.S. Congress. It would allow companies unable to cut their own pollution production to buy emission credits from firms with surplus allowances.

When asked if they would back the proposal if it resulted in "much higher'' energy costs, three quarters said they were less supportive and 68 percent were leery about any proposals that would "impose costly new restrictions on the American economy.''

"Voters want options on global warming, preferably options that inflict the least amount of personal pain,'' John Whaley, senior vice president of American Environics, said on a conference call with reporters.

Melting Glaciers

A United Nations report earlier this year said carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels is contributing to the rise of worldwide temperatures, melting glaciers and more intense storms. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon this week called on world leaders to take swift action on global warming at a conference on climate change in New York.

The public likes clean energy. Sixty-eight percent said they strongly support measures to make wind and solar power less expensive, 56 percent endorsed federal funding for clean technology research and 38 percent want government subsidies for clean energy producers.

The survey indicates congressional global warming legislation is likely to win public support only if "paired up with a proposal on making clean energy cheap,'' Nordhaus said.

Democrats vs. Republicans

Those identified in the survey as Democrats or liberals were twice as likely to rank global warming as an important problem. Republicans or conservatives were three times as likely to say the opposite.

"This debate will not happen in a vacuum,'' said Jeff Navin, managing director of American Environics. "We really do need to understand the very real concerns voters will have about the cost of energy.''

American Environics teamed with EMC Research to conduct the telephone survey of 600 likely voters for the Nathan Cummings Foundation, a New York-based non-profit organization focused on environment and health issues.

The survey took place between Aug. 26 and Sept. 6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.

To contact the reporter on this story: Jim Efstathiou Jr. in New York at jefstathiou@bloomberg.net ; Jim Polson in New York at jpolson@bloomberg.net .
Last Updated: September 25, 2007 14:59 EDT