Thursday, March 11, 2010 4:00 PM
Half Think Warming Threat Exaggerated
By Amy Harder, NationalJournal.com
New poll numbers out today show a dramatic drop in public concern about global warming and a growing doubt about the science behind the issue.
In Gallup's annual poll on the environment, conducted since 1997, more people than ever before -- 48 percent -- say the news media overstates the seriousness of global warming. That percentage has increased sharply in the last two years after hovering in the 30-percentage range since 1997. It was 41 percent last year and 35 percent in 2008.
The ongoing scrutiny facing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for errors found in its pivotal 2007 report has not gone unnoticed by the public. The percentage of respondents who said scientists believe global warming is happening dropped 13 points over the course of two years. One in 10 respondents said the scientific consensus was that warming was not occurring -- the highest level yet in Gallup's poll.
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