Americans Lag Behind with Climate Change Concerns

By Bridget Fama

Stonehill News Blog Staff

Americans lag behind the rest of the world in their concerns for climate change issues, but a recent report found that they are beginning to take the issue more seriously.

A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center entitled “A Look at How Americans See Climate Change,” and written by Cary Funk and Brian Kennedy, discusses how Americans are more concerned about climate change than they were a decade ago. 

Specifically, 44% of Americans said that Congress and the president should make dealing with global climate change a top priority.

Funk and Kennedy said that in the past few decades, concerns about climate change have increased globally. However, during this time, Americans have not seen this issue as a major threat.

Another study done by the Pew Research Center in 2019 entitled “How People Around the World View Climate Change,” and written by Moira Fagan and Christine Huang, cited that thirteen out of twenty-six countries’ citizens surveyed reported that they view climate change as the biggest threat to their country.

This study also found that Americans are less likely to see climate change as a severe threat, with only 59% of Americans agreeing that climate change is a severe threat. In comparison, 86% of people in South Korea and 90% in Greece classify it as a major threat.

The average percentage of concern found in the countries surveyed was 68%, almost ten percent more than the average American answer. However, according to environmental experts, this does not mean that people in the United States are not concerned about climate change; it just means they are behind with their concerns.

Kristen Burkholder, a professor of Environmental Science at Stonehill College, said that she thinks, at the local level, people in the United States are just as concerned about climate change as the European nations.

“The U.S. response, even before we recently pulled out of the Paris Agreement, has been disappointing at the federal level for decades. However, I think if you ask many state and local governments and individuals, you'll see lots of people here in the U.S. that are also worried about the state of the climate,” said Burkholder.

Recently, the United States pulled out of the Paris Agreement, the central purpose of which is to strengthen the global response to climate change and keep the temperature of the planet from rising. The United States was one of 195 countries to sign the agreement before pulling out in June of 2017.

According to Burkholder, the U.S. pulled out of the Paris Agreement because Americans think of climate change as a political issue and not a scientific one.

“Unfortunately, in the U.S., I think climate change is seen as a political issue in ways that it isn't in other countries. Because it has become such a politicized issue, which it shouldn't be, people tend to have their mind made up one way or the other about climate change... and that belief can be really hard to change,” said Burkholder.

The article by Funk and Kennedy discusses how in America climate change is included in politics, wherein the rest of the world it is seen solely as a scientific issue that can be solved by legislation made by politicians.

For instance, in America, concern about climate change has increased significantly within the Democratic party but has decreased within the Republican party.

About 83% of Democrats in America think that climate change is a major threat, while only 27% of Republicans would classify it as a major threat.

April Kelley, an Environmental Science teacher at Lauralton Hall and an environmental activist said that she thinks the most crucial aspect of climate change is the public policies that will be passed in the future.

“The most important aspect of climate change, in my opinion, is the paradigm shift in public policy that is going to be required to mitigate the overall impact climate change will have on our global society,” said Kelley. “We must learn to think in the long term rather than the short term ‘business as usual’ approach.”

As climate change continues, Burkholder said she is concerned about the health issues that come with it.

“I think one very important aspect of climate change that we don't always talk about enough is the link between climate change and human health. For example, we know that people will suffer health impacts as the number of 90-degree days increases, as mosquito-borne illnesses spread into new areas, and as wildfires spread impacting air quality,” said Burkholder. “I think focusing on human health may help some people who currently don't acknowledge climate change, to get on board with acting.”

Both Burkholder and Kelley said that Americans can do more in their local communities and everyday lives to help combat climate change.

According to Burkholder, her first piece of advice is to encourage people and their families to vote for environmental legislation.

 She also suggested trying to eat less meat because the process of producing meat requires the use of tons of carbon.

Kelley suggested that more people should start using solar power, electric cars, and updating the features of their houses to be more environmentally sustainable.

“Complete a home energy audit and improve the insulation of your home and windows to become more energy-efficient,” said Kelley.

Burkholder also says to model good environmental behavior because then others will follow by example. 

“In other words, being ‘caught’ carrying a reusable water bottle, walking instead of driving, and buying local instead of from a global retailer... if your friends see you doing these things, they're more likely to do them as well,” said Burkholder. “You can start a movement at your school or peer group level that could have a major impact overall.”