13 Jul 2012: Majority of Americans Believe
Climate is Warming, Weather Less Stable

The majority of Americans believe the climate is getting warmer and that global weather patterns are becoming more unstable, according to a new poll. In a poll conducted by the Washington Post and Stanford University last month, six in 10 respondents said that weather patterns have been more unstable during the last three years than in the past; almost as many respondents said that average temperatures had increased during the last three years. According to the poll, more than half believe that “a great deal” or a “good amount” can still be done to reduce future warming, although 70 percent opposed tax increases on electricity use or gasoline to change individual behaviors. This latest poll comes just days after a new report from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said that climate change has increased the probability of extreme weather events. The NOAA report noted that the changing climate made last year’s historic drought in Texas 20 times more likely to occur than conditions during the 1960s.