(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States acknowledge climate change, according to a poll by TNS released by Stanford University, Time and ABC News. 85 per cent of respondents think global warming is probably happening.

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 July 2005 at the G-8 summit in Perthshire, Scotland, the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States promised to implement a "new dialogue" on climate change, deeming the issue a "serious long-term challenge" for the planet. 85 per cent of respondents believe global warming will become a serious problem for the world if no action is taken.

Polling Data

You may have heard about the idea that the world's temperature may have been going up slowly over the past 100 years. What is your personal opinion on this--do you think this has probably been happening, or do you think it probably hasn't been happening?

If nothing is done to reduce global warming in the future, how serious of a problem do you think it will be for the world?

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