A new poll finds six in 10 Americans believe climate change is real, think the climate has been increasingly warming and unstable, and 55% “say a ‘great deal’ or ‘good amount’ can be done to reduce future global warming,” a report in today’s Washington Post reveals.

Americans polled by The Post and Stanford do see climate change as occurring: Six in 10 say weather patterns around the world have been more unstable in the past three years than previously, a perception that’s changed little since 2006. Nearly as many also say average temperatures were higher during the past three years than before that.

…

About two-thirds want the United States to be a world leader addressing the problem, even if other major industrial countries do not pitch in. But being a world leader doesn’t translate into direct help for poor countries that may suffer from global warming: Just 24 percent think the U.S. government should provide a great deal or a lot of help to such countries.

Americans make a clear distinction between the two main presidential candidates this year on the issue. Nearly half perceive that President Obama wants a “great deal” or “quite a bit” of government action on global warming. Far fewer — 11 percent — say the same of Republican Mitt Romney.

People don’t see a lot of downside for taking action to stop global warming. Only 12 percent say that the things people would do to help stop it would make their own lives worse.

Tagged as: action on climate change, american polls, americans believe, carbon finance, Change, climate, climate change, climate change denial, environment, environmental skepticism, Global Warming, global warming controversy, majority, new poll, Politics, Poll, poll finds, the climate

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