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ENVIRONMENT

Belief in Climate Change Depends on Current Day's Weather, Study Shows

'What people are learning isn't going very deep,' says scientist

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by Dain Fitzgerald

Staff Writer t

Image: Flickr

The public's attitude toward climate change is as variable as day-to-day weather patterns themselves, a new study shows.

A paper published in the aptly named Climatic Change journal shows that according to twenty years of survey data, people are more likely to believe in climate change during especially cold or warm weather events, informs U.S. News & World Report. And not surprisingly, when it comes to belief in global warming specifically, the public is more receptive of the idea when it's hot outside.

"What people are learning isn't going very deep," complains study author Simon Donner of the University of British Columbia. "If you had a fundamental feeling for the issue, your opinion wouldn't change with the weather."

Donner blames the press, in part, for preferring to publish stories about climate change during bouts of extreme weather. But the phenomenon isn't a "breaking story," he says, and shouldn't be treated as such:

"Scientists need to get used to being on offense more to make people realize this is an everyday issue - we can't get into the habit of only talking about it during the heat waves."

Via U.S. News & World Report.
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Does the current day's weather ever make you more of a believer in climate change?

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Comments (view in Forum)

  • TheJimmy
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    @methinks define real. Can I see GW and touch it just like the I Phone that I'm holding in my hand right now? I need something a little more concrete before I can agree that GW is real.
  • harold_lloyd
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    If I have to make a choice between what you say and what the National Academy of Science says, I'm going with the Academy.

    So is the government.
  • Zazziness
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    @harold_lloyd You're so right. If I have trouble with a clogged pipe, I go to a plumber. If I want to know about climate change, I don't go to a bunch of yahoos with no expertise; I listen to climate scientists.
  • View all 42 replies >
  • stepped_in_it
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    @harold_lloyd Politics needs to come up with a Facebook/tweeter/app/video game type attitude to get the blank stares off the faces of the uninformed! Think it might work? ;-)
  • stepped_in_it
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    @harold_lloyd And said beyond politics because people only look at today's weather. Ever notice people washing their cars when the local weather is calling for 100% rain tonight thru all day tomorrow?
  • Real4WheelDrv
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    @stepped_in_it lol believe it or not there was many years ago a simulation game about running for president...like mid '90's or early 2000's or so...I forget the name but you had to decide what campaign money got spent on which issues in what states, establish a platform of issues to campaign on etc. Wouldn't sell today though cause it didn't have millions of dollars in budget and shiny graphics :p Unlike modern campaigns....hmmm...coincidenc e?
  • View all 11 replies >
  • stepped_in_it
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    Yeah, I do hate the cold and love the warm. Think I'll go fire up my '57 Chevy and burn some tree trimmings so my "carbon credits" get all used up! Come on summer.
  • DrFunkenstein
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    Global Warming is 100% happening, there is no science to deny the facts and 99% of Climate Scientists say that Global Warming is real and happening. 97% of Climate scientists say that humans have caused the current global warming with 2% not sure and 1% paid by the Energy Companies to deny it. 100% of all peer reviewed studies show Climate Change as on course to ruin the planet over the next century and there is no real science to the contrary. It boils down to people that are educated and informed will know that Global Warming is happening and caused by emissions from mining, coal burning power plants, all forms of fossil fueled transportation and the recent expansion of frakking. The people that are not informed are going to believe whatever propaganda they gobble up.
  • methinks
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    If Global Warming is 100% caused by man, then how do you explain the Medieval Warming Period between 800 - 1300AD?
  • o
    NTBFW
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    Not so fast. I've just read in the last week about some of the numbers getting messed with. Also another theory that attributes it to sun spots. There is enough contradictory evidence to make me think its not settled yet. Before we destroy the worlds economy we need to know more. For one all the glaciers are not melting. There had been no proof of sea level rising. There are are legitimate debates still over the actual damage that would be caused if the temps are rising. First the predictions from less than twenty years ago are off by 300%. It goes against the principals of science to attack anyone for questioning the theory. To dismiss any argument as being a denier is bad science. I've looked at this enough to have questions.
  • u
    Chromalord
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    @methinks One has got nothing to do with the other.How do you know the global warming now wasn't going to happen a thousand years from now anyway?
  • View all 46 replies >
  • u
    Kellso
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    What I waqnt to know is why didnt ALL and I say ALL the so called scientists that are jumping on the band wagon now, see it way back when Gore had all the evidence and publicized it?? Seems that too many of the, so called, scientists are simply youppies that bought a degree in ' higher learning institutions' and are simply playing games. WE, THE COMMON PUBLIC SHOULD WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES, BUT I STILL SAY IT IS PROBABLY TOO LATE TO HELP MUCH!!!!!!!!
  • harold_lloyd
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    Study up on how Big Tobacco paid a lot of 'scientists' to confuse the issue of smoking hazards.

    It starts out with suppressing research.
  • o
    NTBFW
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    Just this week I've seen some claims that the numbers have been messed with on the actual amount of warming. Some of the predictions are off 300%. They have yet to prove sea levels are rising.
    I have also seen reports that it may be caused by sun spots. I really don't think there is enough evidence to justify completely destroying the worlds economy. It's not denial I just don't think that it's settled yet.
  • harold_lloyd
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    "As the world gets warmer and with waves encroaching ever closer, an entire island nation is on the verge of vanishing beneath rapidly rising sea levels. And pretty soon, an unprecedented mass exodus is set to begin.

    While the scenario sounds a lot like the plot from some preachy doomsday movie, it’s actually an extremely dire situation facing the people of Kiribati, a republic located along a chain of islands that stretch across the central Pacific."

    http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/thinking-tech...
  • Russell797
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    First of all, mitigation is not an attempt to "destroy the world's economy". That's a right wing strawman designed to confuse the issue. The goal does not involve self destruction, it's just the opposite. Second, the historical temperature records are constantly analyzed and corrected for discontinuities and non-climate related artifacts. This is to improve the reliability of the data as part of the scientific process and is some form of corruption or conspiracy. Third, sunspots, or solar variability introduces a small radiative forcing on climate which produces a detectable 0.1C variance in temperature over a full 11 year solar cycle. The global temperature has risen 0.8C over the past century.
  • Knightkore
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    These scientists are usually ones that don't believe in creation and can't understand the concept that each detail is interconnected....it isn't just one thing....they say we are to blame....but we are NOT the only factors and I would say we are the tiniest of factors compared to the various other events including sunspots....

    It is all about control, controlling populations....
  • o
    NTBFW
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    @Russell797 it's not a straw man argument. If we did everything proposed yes it would destroy the world economy. It will cost trillions and trillions of dollars and won't change a thing. We only have records of temps going back 150 years at best. In the scheme of things that's a very very small sample. I've looked at the numbers and just am not convinced. I still have an open mind. If we are causing global warming, we need to be damn sure the " solution " is the right one. I don't think it's a conspiracy to commit a hoax. I think it IS a given that if you want funding as a scientist, you had BETTER support global warming.
    I would prefer the best and brightest trying to debunk the theory. Then if they couldn't, I would be much more inclined to believe it. Screaming at me and calling me names isn't going to ever sell it.
  • Russell797
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    @NTBFW I have not called you names. I am having a conversation. Anyway, what is the point of mitigating climate change if you destroy the very thing you are trying save? We would hope we are not that stupid. Look, I speak only to the science. We as scientists can only inform the public, we can not dictate policy. In fact, it is already to late to prevent significant warming no matter what. This is a global problem which will require a global solution, the U.S. contributes only 18% to all global warming pollution. The best and brightest scientists from many fields have worked in research of this matter for over a century. This is not something which has just recently come to light, but the warming of the past century is generally what we expect from theory and that warming will continue, as will sea level rise and changing weather patterns. If we can not or will not mitigate, then we should understand what will be required to adapt...but that will not come cheaply either. It likely costs more to adapt than to mitigate, and at some point we will be forced to do both. We are just 2 people, we will not change the world, but I suggest you listen to what climate scientists have to say and why just for your own edification. This is not a hoax, but I will tell you the worst case scenarios are what you hear most loudly. We don't really know how bad things will become, there is considerable uncertainty as to the value of climate sensitivity. Yet uncertainty is not our friend here.
  • View all 8 replies >
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    albert
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    No because in my lifetime only I can tell a real differance ,its getting hotter and the winters are getting shorter,this coming summer will most likely break the record again.Hope not.
  • u
    Yank
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    When I was a kid the science of the day had me convinced that we were heading towards the next ice age. It was established in the science community that all the SO2 that we were putting in the attmosphere would block the UV rays and reflect them back into space resulting in global cooling and the next ice age. As Bush 2 said "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice won't get fooled again".
  • Dan_Tien
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    I think that it is weird that TV News will follow a story about global warming almost immediately with a weather report wherein the forecaster almost invariably says "Let's hope for more beautiful, warm days ahead!"
  • u
    BelinKS
    !
    The theory that climate change or global warming is caused by man not fully substantiated. Our planet has gone through many, many climate changes over the years. I do think that carbon emissions are not good for us, so we do need to work on that. I live in Arkansas. There is a saying here, "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute". Our weather has always changed at the drop of a hat. Here in NE Arkansas, last month we had a blizzard. The next week was warm and we were having severe thunderstorms with hail and tornados! It wasn't even a week, it was a few days apart. In 2009 we had the worst ice storm on record. The amount of ice was almost unbelievable! Hundreds of thousands were with out electricity for a very long time. You really couldn't go anywhere for a while. As soon as driving was possible my parents drove to a condo the have in central AR that had electricity. Thank God we had a fire place with plenty of wood, a has grill, a small gas camp stove and plenty of candles. It was hard to keep my daughter busy. She was 3. We also had a sofa bed and a recliner so all four of us could sleep in the living room. My new house does not have a fire place yet, but it is coming. We also have a med/ small genorator now. We are also going to have a storm shelter put under the floor of our garage. Tornado prone area. This is the first house I've bought without a fireplace and storm shelter already in place. So were doing it ourselves.
    We have extreme heat waves, severe cold waves for this latitude, ice storms, winter weather severe storms, snow, droughts, severe flash flooding, severe thunder storms, and tornados. The only one that is rare is severe ice storms. We can put in place protections from all of those. Not part of the climate, but this area is on a the New Madrid fault. When that one finally goes again it's going to be bad! This weather has always been like this since my great grand father was a child. Probably before. There was not the carbon emissions back then.
  • u
    Chromalord
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    Too many people simply don't have the ability to look beyond their own noses when it comes to any issue that may cause them to think. They see snow: " oh that global warming thing is a hoax" or conversely it may be really hot for a week " oh global warming must be real" etc. Neither observation has anything to do with GW.
    Even Bush W accepted the scientists findings and made public his concerns.( of course he didn't act upon them but hey, he's a politician and a Texan with oil companies on the brain, and daddy is friend with OPEC)
    Whether or not climate change has happened before is irrelevant. Whether or not its just a natural occurrence is irrelevant and even to a certain degree whether people have caused GW or accelerated it, is irrelevant.
    What is relevant is the millions of photos which show undeniable comparative data.
    What is relevant is the data taken from temperature readings of both the air and the seas over the course of decades.
    What is relevant is the comparative data received from measurements of methane gases, pollutants, ozone levels.
    What is relevant is the ability to measure rising sea- levels
    What is relevant is the exponential rise in environmental allergies and asthma
    What is relevant is the widening desert expanses and depletion of arable land.
    What is relevant is that unlike the last occurrence of climate shift/change, there weren't seven billion people on the planet.
  • Tralee
    !
    Global Warming, Climate Change etc. is the new religion of the tree huggers. They love to say the Polar Bears of dying off, in danger and show school children sad pictures of polar bears floating (to their death supposedly) on large trays of ice. BUT - in reality, polar bear population is larger now than it ever has been and polar bears LIKE to float around on trays of ice since they are excellent long distance swimmers and in absolutely no danger at all. Add this to various e-mails and findings that "Climate Change" has been greatly exagerated, one wonders why so many still embrace this new age belief. Combine this with the very real fact that the climate has been changing warmer and cooler since records have been kept, leading to the conclusion that it is cyclical and natural. Again, I mention the little ice age that started in the 1400's and lasted for about 400 years. Then it got warmer. And, just to add this, in a warmer earth, more crops can be planted longer thus providing food for many more people.
  • Zazziness
    !
    Are you a scientist? No, you are not. And that's why you confuse religion (which is a matter of faith) with science (which is a matter of fact). You have also confused politics with science. Science is NOT a matter of opinion and the climate change scientists worldwide say your opinion on the matter is wrong.
    You repeat the common mistake: the climate fluctuates naturally ergo man cannot affect climate change. That is nonsense. A forest can burn from natural lightning strike but a forest can also burn from a human striking a match. See how one does not eliminate the possibility of the other?
    Your simplistic "warmer earth equals more crops" talks of a time coming out of an Ice Age which we are not doing now. Warmer earth equals rising sea levels for instance. Now where is every major metropolis on Earth? Oh, yeah. On the shoreline.
  • jessejaymes
    !
    I think it's pretty telling that most those who believe in man made climate change are from the more educated states and those who think it's not tend to be from the bubba bible belt states. Which puts the divide pretty much in the same division as those states where it never happens vs those states where guys in overalls claim they were abducted by aliens and given an anal probe. Pick a side.
  • Russell797
    !
    There exists a large disconnect between what the public believes climate change scientists understand and what is actually the case. This disconnect is by no accident. It is fostered by a small group of self interested entities who wish to retard any attempts at climate change mitigation so as to protect the status quo. They confuse the public dialogue for political gain. The science be damned.

    Climate is measured in 30 year chunks of time, what you see out your window today or this month is weather. Climate change shifts the range of probability as to what the average type weather you will experience.
  • u
    Grizz
    !
    Wake up people. The evidence is right there. But it involves more than just carbon emissions and our pollution. It involves the sun and every planet in our solar system. Goggle Russian scientists say the planets are changing. There is evidence to show we have entered an area of dark matter which is attributing to these changes. Our system is being bombarded by ionized neutrino's at such a huge scale. Noticeable changes have occurred on every planet within our solar system. There has been dramatic weather changes, volcanoes erupting and tremendous increase in earth quakes to such a degree scientists are stating the world is cracking up. We should be alarmed because we now are at the point of no return in this and mother nature will strike back with fury as mankind as never seen before.
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