(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many Americans are worried about climate change, according to a poll by the Opinion Research Corporation. 58 per cent of respondents say they are more concerned now about global warming than they were two years ago.

The term global warming refers to an increase of the Earth's average temperature. Some theories say that climate change might be the result of human-generated carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

In 1998, several countries agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, a proposed amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The agreement commits nations to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The U.S. signed the protocol but has not ratified it.

In his Jan. 31 State of the Union address, U.S. president George W. Bush declared, "Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources—and we are on the threshold of incredible advances."

Polling Data

Based on what you have heard from experts or in news accounts, are you more or less concerned about global warming today than you were two years ago?

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