Global Warming? No Sweat.
Shortly after winning an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth in 2007, Al Gore told reporters backstage at Los Angeles’s Kodak Theatre that he hoped the honor would convince more people to "see the movie and learn about the climate crisis." He may want to rethink his wish. According to a recent study by researchers from ...
Shortly after winning an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth in 2007, Al Gore told reporters backstage at Los Angeles's Kodak Theatre that he hoped the honor would convince more people to "see the movie and learn about the climate crisis." He may want to rethink his wish. According to a recent study by researchers from Texas A&M University on American attitudes toward global warming, the more people know about climate change, the less concerned they are about it.
Shortly after winning an Oscar for An Inconvenient Truth in 2007, Al Gore told reporters backstage at Los Angeles’s Kodak Theatre that he hoped the honor would convince more people to "see the movie and learn about the climate crisis." He may want to rethink his wish. According to a recent study by researchers from Texas A&M University on American attitudes toward global warming, the more people know about climate change, the less concerned they are about it.
After interviewing more than 1,000 Americans on their environmental attitudes, researchers found that people who are more informed about the risks and causes of global warming are not only less alarmed than those with less knowledge of the topic, but they also feel less responsibility to do anything about it. The lack of concern may stem from people’s confidence in the scientific community’s ability to devise solutions. "People [with greater knowledge of global warming] trust scientists more," says Paul Kellstedt, a coauthor of the study. They "trust scientists will develop emission-less vehicles and things that are going to reduce the carbon footprint of humanity." The lack of responsibility, Kellstedt says, might simply be "evidence of the tragedy of the commons."
Some climate-change activists see a generational divide in the study’s results (the average age of interviewees was 47). "As someone who works on the front lines of the youth climate-change movement in the United States and Canada, [this study] goes directly against what I see," says Brianna Cayo Cotter, communications director of the youth-oriented environmental group Energy Action Coalition. "The more [young people] know, the more they do about climate change." But Cayo Cotter acknowledges that the green movement may have a communications problem, admitting that "somehow it doesn’t quite ring true that changing your light bulb is going to solve [the problem]." Apparently, some people prefer to leave the bright ideas to someone else.
More from Foreign Policy
Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.
Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.
How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
