While most climatologists agree global warming exists, a growing number of Americans think the idea is “exaggerated,” according to a recent Gallup poll.The poll reports a record-high 41 percent of Americans are skeptical of the severity of global warming. “Surveys such as this Gallup poll suggests that our effort to educate the public about the science of global climate change needs to be strengthened,” said David Brown, geography professor. Most climatologists agree on the existence of global warming, and most don’t doubt the earth is warmer today than it was 100 years ago, Brown said. The real question is if humans are contributing to the earth’s warming temperature and how much they are affecting the climate. Most scientists think the human role is an important one, Brown said. The poll shows a 10 percent jump from 10 years ago, when 31 percent of Americans believed the idea was exaggerated. And after 2006, skepticism grew steadily.”A couple problems is it’s a very complex issue in which all the components are not all understood,” said University climatologist Barry Keim.  While many people are convinced humans are causing all the problems and catastrophic changes are near, many people take a stance that the issue doesn’t exist, Keim said. In reality, people should be in between the two extremes, he said. Jared Gallo, mechanical engineering sophomore, said he thinks climatologists have proved the sea levels are rising.”Even if it is exaggerated, it’s still something to worry about,” Gallo said. “If we don’t worry about it, it will be the next generation’s problem.” Climatologists know the climate has warmed about a whole degree Fahrenheit since the ’70s, but the big question is what caused the change, Keim said. Most people see the global change in climate as an issue “off in the future,” and view the stock market, the local economy and issues in the Middle East as more immediate problems, he said. These issues could be the reason more people are skeptical about the severity of global warming, he said. While Keim said many people may not be as educated as they should be on the issue, even climatologists don’t understand some of the changes and how they occur. “There are a lot of uncertainties in terms of predicting what the future will hold,” he said. Matthew Schullen, philosophy junior, said he didn’t think the threat was a big deal to worry about. “What it means to us is exaggerated,” Schullen said. Another finding in the Gallup poll suggests Republicans’ belief that the threat of global warming is inflated has grown increasingly. In 2009, 66 percent of Republicans believed the climate change is exaggerated, and this number is growing among Independents as well. Democrats have remained close to 20 percent in their belief of the climate change, the study found. “The average person doesn’t know about climate change,” said Kirby Goidel, mass communication and political science professor. “Most people take cues from political leaders.” People don’t have time or don’t take the time to research issues for themselves, Goidel said. Instead, people take positions on issues based on the leaders they trust, most often from partisan leaders, he said. Global warming should be addressed as a problem, Keim said. But the issue should not completely disrupt the order of business in the economy, he said.
 
 
 
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