Washington - The number of Americans who believe there is solid evidence the Earth is warming because of pollution is at its lowest point in three years, a survey suggests.
A poll of 1500 adults by the Pew Research Centre found 57 percent of Americans believe there is strong scientific evidence the earth has grown hotter in the past few decades.
As a result, people are viewing the situation as less serious - down from 77 percent in 2006, and 71 percent in April 2008. The steepest drop occurred during the past year, as Congress has taken steps to control heat-trapping emissions.
International negotiations are also under way to agree a treaty to slow global warming. At the same time, there has been mounting scientific evidence of climate change - from melting ice caps to the world's oceans hitting the highest monthly recorded temperatures this northern summer. But while the evidence appears clear, only about a third, or 36 percent, of the poll respondents feel that human activities are behind a temperature increase.
That is the first decline since 2006. “The priority that people give to pollution and environmental concerns and a whole host of other issues is down because of the economy and because of the focus on other things,'' said Andrew Kohut, the director of the research centre, which conducted the poll from September 30 to October 4.
Andrew Weaver, a professor of climate analysis at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, said politics could be drowning out scientific awareness. “It's a combination of poor communication by scientists, a lousy summer in the eastern United States, people mixing up weather and climate and a full-court press by public relations firms and lobby groups trying to instil a sense of uncertainty and confusion in the public.''
Despite misgivings about the science, half those polled still say they support limits on greenhouse gases, even if they lead to higher energy prices, and a majority - 56 percent - feel the US should join other countries in setting standards to address global climate change. - Sapa-AP