Articles

Public favors international cooperation on global warming

Public Agenda Alert
Special Edition
April 6, 2007

The American public clearly sees climate change as a problem that requires global cooperation and U.S. leadership, according to the latest edition of the Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index.

A United Nations report to be issued today will warn of grim consequences of global warming, ranging from crop failures in Africa to melting glaciers in the Himalayas. Higher temperatures and less rain are likely in North America.

The Foreign Policy Index, released earlier this week, found public concern about climate change has increased significantly over the past six months. The public also believes international cooperation can make a difference on this problem.

Key findings on global warming include:

• Three-quarters of those surveyed say they're at least somewhat worried about global warming, up seven points from six months ago.

• The most notable shift is in the intensity of public feeling. Four in 10 (41 percent) said they worry "a lot" about global warming, and that's up eight points. Those who said they only worry "somewhat" held steady, while those who said they didn't worry at all fell six points, to 24 percent.

• By contrast, the number who say the U.S. government can do "a lot" about global warming held steady, at 34 percent.

• Yet nearly two-thirds (65 percent) say it's realistic to believe that international cooperation can reduce global warming.

• The public considers the environment a high priority for U.S. diplomacy. Seven in 10 say "cooperating with other countries on problems like the environment or control of disease" should be a very important foreign policy goal, second only to nuclear nonproliferation. Six in 10 say global warming specifically should be a very important priority.

• The public also gives the government fairly low grades for leading the world's efforts on climate change, with 61 percent giving the U.S. a "C" or below for working with other countries on global warming. Roughly one-third give D or F marks.

The Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index is conducted every six months by Public Agenda in cooperation with Foreign Affairs magazine and with support from the Ford and Hewlett foundations.

You can download a free copy of the full report, view a multimedia
presentation and give us your feedback:
http://www.publicagenda.org/foreignpolicy/index.cfm

Read the Associated Press story about the climate report:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070406/a
p_on_sc/climate_report

Find out more about the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change:
http://www.ipcc.ch

Copyright (c) 2006 Public Agenda. More information: www.publicagenda.org.

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