January 25, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States express concerns over climate change, according to a poll by CBS News. 70 per cent of respondents think global warming is an environmental problem that is causing a serious impact now.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in the United States express concerns over climate change, according to a poll by CBS News. 70 per cent of respondents think global warming is an environmental problem that is causing a serious impact now.

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 June 2005, U.S. president George W. Bush defended his decision not to adhere to the protocol, saying, "Kyoto would have wrecked our economy. I couldn't in good faith have signed Kyoto."

On Jan. 23 in his State of the Union address, Bush discussed his energy policies, saying, "America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. And these technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change."

Polling Data

Do you think global warming is an environmental problem that is causing a serious impact now, or do you think global warming isn't having a serious impact?

	Jan. 2007	Aug. 2006
Impact now	70%	67%
No serious impact	23%	28%
Don't know	7%	5%

Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,168 American adults, conducted from Jan. 18 to Jan. 21, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.