Americans
are more concerned about the changing planet when the words "global
warming" are used than when they hear "climate change," new research
finds. Republicans see the two terms as more or less equivalent, but
Democrats, political independents, liberals and moderates are more
likely to…
'Global Warming' Scarier Than 'Climate Change,' Surveys Find
By By Stephanie Pappas, Senior Writer
9 hours ago
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A Google Trends graph showing searches for "climate change" and "global warming" …
Americans are more concerned about the changing planet when
the words "global warming" are used than when they hear "climate
change," new research finds.
The two terms are often used synonymously, but new
surveys reveal that they carry different connotations for many people,
particularly African Americans, Hispanic Americans, liberals and people
between the ages of 31 and 48. Republicans see the two terms as more or
less equivalent, but Democrats, political independents, liberals and
moderates are more likely to express concern about "global warming" than "climate change."
"The studies found that the two terms are often not synonymous — they
mean different things to different people — and activate different sets
of beliefs, feelings and behaviors, as well as different degrees of
urgency about the need to respond," the researchers wrote in a report
released today (May 27). [8 Ways Global Warming Is Already Changing the World] A history of two terms
The term "climate change" is about 20 years older than the term "global
warming." Wallace Broecker, a geoscientist at Columbia University known
as the "Grandfather of Climate Science," coined the latter term in
1975. Even for scientists, the two terms have different definitions.
"Global warming refers to the increase in the Earth's average surface
temperature since the Industrial Revolution, primarily due to the
emission of greenhouse gases from the burning of fossil fuels and
land-use change," Yale University researcher Anthony Leiserowitz and
colleagues wrote in the new report,
"whereas climate change refers to the long-term change of the Earth's
climate, including changes in temperature, precipitation and wind
patterns over a period of several decades or longer."
Many media outlets use the terms interchangeably, and both terms have become politicized.
In 2002, Republican strategist Frank Luntz suggested that the George W.
Bush administration use the words "climate change" rather than "global
warming," because climate change seemed less emotional, and more
controllable. Now, however, conservatives tend to use the words "global
warming" more, while liberals prefer "climate change," according to a
2011 analysis published in the journal Public Opinion Quarterly.
Google Trends reveals that, historically, Internet users have searched
more for "global warming" than "climate change," but the gap has closed
in the past couple of years. Warming or change?
Leiserowitz, who heads the Yale Project on Climate Change
Communication, and his colleagues commissioned two national surveys to
find out how Americans respond to each term today. One of the surveys,
conducted in January, was based on a nationally representative sample of
1,021 adults. The other, conducted in November and December 2013, was
based on a nationally representative sample of 1,657 adults.
In the January survey, the researchers asked participants about their experiences with the terms "global warming" and "climate change."
They found that Americans reported equal familiarity with both terms
but were more likely to use and hear the words "global warming."
Forty-five percent reported hearing "global warming" more often,
compared with 12 percent who said they heard "climate change" more.
(Meanwhile, 37 percent said they heard both terms equally.) And 35
percent of Americans said they used "global warming" more themselves,
compared with 16 percent who said they used "climate change" more.
In the November/December survey, the researchers asked participants
about their concerns and feelings about climate change. For half of the
participants, the questions referred to "climate change." For the other
half, the researchers asked the same questions, but with the words
"global warming" instead of "climate change."
Overall, the
results were striking: Americans were generally more concerned,
threatened and moved to act when they were responding to the term
"global warming" versus "climate change." For example, respondents were
13 percentage points more likely to say "global warming" is bad than
they were to say "climate change" is bad — 76 percent compared to 63
percent.
When participants were asked to free-associate with both
terms, "global warming" resulted in more associations with melting ice,
flooding and the ozone hole
(a different problem). "Climate change" was more closely linked with
weather phenomena such as storms. However, "global warming" was more
likely to bring up thoughts of severe weather than "climate change."
Fifteen percent of Americans reported feeling "very worried" about
global warming, versus 9 percent about climate change, and 38 percent
reported feeling that global warming would harm them,
compared with 30 percent who felt personally threatened by climate
change. Twenty-nine percent would take action against "global warming,"
compared with 23 percent who would fight "climate change." Boosting believability
Sixty-two percent of Americans responded that "global warming" is
happening, and 63 percent said that "climate change" is happening. But
people feel more certainty about "global warming," the survey found: 27
percent of Americans feel "extremely sure" that "global warming" is
happening. When the term "climate change" was used, only 20 percent said
they felt that level of certainty. [The Reality of Climate Change: 10 Myths Busted]
Some of these differences are even more extreme when subgroups are considered. For example, men are 12 percent more likely to believe that "global warming" is happening
versus "climate change." People between the ages of 31 and 48 are 21
percent more likely to believe in global warming over climate change.
And self-described political liberals are 19 percent more likely to feel
that extreme certainty when the term "global warming" is used compared
with "climate change."
Equal numbers of Americans blame human
activities for the changes, no matter which term is used. They're also
equally likely to say that scientists agree the world is warming,
whether the changes are dubbed "global warming" or "climate change,"
though liberals and political independents see more scientific consensus
when the term "global warming" is used.
The findings suggest that, politically, scientists will gain little by
using the term "climate change," as Republicans are equally skeptical of
both terms, the researchers conclude. But using "climate change" appears to reduce concern and interest among people on the rest of the political spectrum.
The connotations of the terms could change over time, the researchers
warned, but advocates for reducing the problem should know what
reactions their language is likely to trigger.
"Scientists often prefer the term 'climate change' for technical
reasons, but should be aware that the two terms generate different
interpretations among the general public and specific subgroups," the
researchers wrote.
I think the reason for this is people know if it gets warmer the ice all melts and the seas rise about 15 feet eventually wiping out many coastal towns and island nations around the world. Also, global warming means stronger Hurricanes, stronger tornadoes, stronger winds and more unpredictable rain and droughts which means less food grown that can be counted on every year worldwide.
However, Descartes said something appropriate about life. He said, "There is nothing so good that no bad may come of it and there is nothing so bad that no good may come of it."
One of the ways to see this is that many will die from Global warming but there will also be those who benefit from global warming like people who own land in Siberia, Canada, Alaska and islands nearer to the north pole as the temperature there at the north pole goes to an average of 76 degrees Fahrenheit like it was once before. Because soon all the ice will be gone summers and then eventually year around in the north and then people will go to Alaska for summer vacation and northern Canada because anywhere south will be unbearably hot.
You just might want to make sure that land is at least 20 feet vertically higher than the ocean worldwide because otherwise it will eventually be overtaken by the ocean and ocean surges and storms.
However, there might not be polar bears and other northern creatures that need the cold and ice to survive. But, likely Grolar bears (polar bears and Grizzlies breeding together) likely will still be around in the north.
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