62% in U.S. support environmental movement, but 48% say global warming is exaggerated -- Gallup Poll

Most Americans support the environmental movement, a new Gallup Poll says, but support has fallen in the past decade, especially where global warming is concerned. Some 48% said global warming is exaggerated.

More respondents put a priority on energy over environment for the first time since Gallup started these environmental surveys 10 years ago. Exactly half favored development of fossil fuels over environmental protection, while only 43% put environment first.

Political polarization over global warming is one reason for the loss of environmental support, with climate skeptics, fossil fuel industries and some elected officials beating the drums of doubt. The recession and loss of jobs factors in too. People have much to worry about and are more easily scared by those who make dire warnings about the economic effects of regulations.

Political party, not surprisingly, makes a difference in people’s opinions. Asked if the environmental movement in general had done more good than harm:
• 74% of Dems said yes (down from 77)
• 59% of Independents agreed (down from 70)
• 51% of Republicans agreed (down the most – 13 points – from 64)

There was agreement about energy conservation, however. Across the board, 52% saw consumer conservation as a way to solve the energy problem.

Other findings:
• 61% were active or supportive of the environment movement (down 10% since 2000); 19% were active participants, 42% were sympathetic, 28% were neutral and 10% unsympathetic.
• 19% (and more women that men) were actively involved.
• 53% said global warming is real and the impact has begun or will soon.
• 46% rated the quality of the environment as good or excellent (up from 39% a year ago). That seems to go in tandem with “we don’t have to do so much about it.”

What was surprising (and frankly I don’t believe it) was the number of people saying they personally take steps to protect the environment:
• 90% said they have recycled.
• 85% said they’ve taken steps to reduce home energy use.
• 81% have replaced incandescent light bulbs with condensed fluorescent bulbs.
• 76% have bought products specifically because they are better for the environment.
• 70% have used reusable shopping bags.

This sounds like a case of telling the pollster what she wants to hear.

The poll results clearly send a warning that we need to educate the public more about global warming in order neutralize what the naysayers are telling them. Too many still don’t understand the damage fossil fuels are doing.

(Sources: Greenwire via New York Times )

Energy conservation: Jimmy Carter did it, kids get it, and George W. Bush doesn’t have a clue

(Photo of President Carter from Flickr and Ping News. Uploaded by David Shapinsky.)

Weekly Angst: I remember the oil crisis back in the ‘70s. There wasn’t enough gasoline and people lined up for blocks to fill their tanks.

And I remember President Jimmy Carter, who catches a lot of flack these days for being a citizen of the world, sprang into action and asked the nation to conserve energy. He even put solar panels on the roof of the White House (Ronald Reagan reportedly took them down).

We responded to Carter’s pleas and were glad to be able to help our country, and at the same time ourselves – because who wanted to wait an hour to get a tank of gas and sometimes find the pump empty.

We responded
In short order we (my husband and I):
• Turned in our two American cars for smaller, lighter Japanese models.
• Turned down the temperature on our water heater and wrapped it in insulation.
• Taped huge sheets of plastic over our sliding glass doors and on windows for the colder months.
• Put a rolled up towel by the front door so heat didn’t escape under it.
• Turned down the thermostat and wore a sweater (if the president could do it, we could).
• Drove as little as possible and car-pooled.
• Observed the 55 mph speed limit. Nixon had lowered it during an earlier oil crisis and Carter demanded strict enforcement. His successor, Gerald Ford, continued it. (Now people in Western states are driving 80 and 90 mph.)

I remember too that when we went into the city, the lights in the office buildings were dimmed, as businesses turned out most of their lights at night. Today they’re all shining brightly -- a criminal waste of energy.

Conserving during WWII
Going back even further (much further), I recall some of the changes we made in our lives during World War II. Our family, like so many others, had a Victory Garden. We grew a lot of our own food in village plots, a concept many environmentalists are touting now as an alternative to having food sent over the world by planes and trucks spewing CO2.

Gasoline was rationed, so we couldn't spend the summer at my grandmother’s in the woods of Rhode Island because it required too much gas. Instead, for several years, we took the train and stayed at a beachfront hotel for a week.

Bush doesn’t get it
Today, we face a crisis of planetary proportions, and yet President Bush has not asked us to sacrifice – to save energy for the good of not only the nation but the planet. It may be because he’s not clear on the concept. He’s been handed everything on a silver platter – from a prep school and Ivy League education to an oil company, a baseball team, and then the presidency. The only people asked to sacrifice by this Administration are the families of the thousands of men and women being fed into the war machine. The rest of us have been asked to go out and spend money. (Maybe the “W” stands for “waste.”)

But kids get it
In stark contrast was an e-mail I got yesterday from my 10-year-old granddaughter, Sabrina. She’d gotten it from her friend Danielle, who got it from her friend Alexandra. It tells 20 Things You Can Do To Save the World. I don’t know where this list originated, but it was written by a 12-year-old named Shira, who said:

“The world is at big risk because of Global Warming and we need to do something to help – but fast we don’t have much time. The world’s average temperature is rising, important animals are becoming extinct and much more. You can make a difference. Read these 20 tips and you can change the world.
• Use compact florescent light bulbs
• Bring your own mug or thermos instead of a store’s paper cups for coffee, hot chocolate or tea
• Buy BIOTA water bottles, they are good for the environment
• Use Seventh Generation company for tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels
• Use paper goods that say “30% post consumer waste”
• Never use wrapping paper, old newspapers work just as well
• Use recycled paper
• If your water heater is more than five years old, replace it
• Use canvas/reusable bags at the grocery store or any other store that uses bags
• Take public transportation or carpool to get places
• When you are in a long line in your car, turn your car off
• Unplug plugs even when nothing is connected when you are not using it
• Plant trees
• Write on the back side of a piece of paper
• Email instead of sending a letter
• Don’t litter
• Never waste water
• Save energy
• Buy organic food
• And remember – Reduce Reuse Recycle and Respect."
It's a simple concept 10- and 12-year-olds can grasp. Why can’t you, Mr. President?

Antarctic ice no longer safe

News update: Ice sheets in Antarctic, once thought to be unaffected by global warming, are melting at an increasingly rapid rate, says a study in Nature Geoscience. It was known ice was melting on a peninsula jutting toward South America, but not elsewhere on the huge ice cap that contains 90% of the world’s ice. A warming circumpolar current is thought to be causing the problem, as it eats away at the ice 200 yards below the ocean’s surface. The annual Antarctic ice loss, at 132 billion metric tons a year, is getting close to that in Greenland in scope, the researchers said The melting suggests sea levels could rise much higher than expected. East Antarctic has so far been unaffected and surface temperatures on the continent remain stable. (Source: Washington Post)

Western governors eye efficiency to avoid 100 new plants
The Western Governors Assn., made up of 19 states and 3 Pacific islands, is encouraging energy conservation in homes and commercial buildings to save 48,000 megawatts of power, 1.8 trillion gallons of water and $53 billion over 15 years. In a new report, they call for stronger building codes, separating utility sales from profit, and increasing incentives for energy efficiency. If the states adopt the recommendations, the need for new power could be cut 75% in 15 years, the equivalent of 100 power plants. (Source: Greenwire)

Germany leads world in renewable energy growth
Renewable sources provided 14% of power consumed in Germany in 2007, up from a little under 12% in 2006. Wind was responsible for much of the increase, the German Renewable Energy Federation said last week. But plans to reduce government support may slow growth in the future, as happened with biofuels last year. (Source: PlanetArk)

UK to build five towns that have zero carbon emissions
Britain plans five carbon-neutral “eco-towns” of 5,000-20,000 homes, that will be powered by wind or solar and designed to minimize car and water use. By 2016, all of Britain’s new homes will have to be carbon neutral. (Sierra magazine)

Mini-cities in Florida, New York have common green destiny
Developers are building two sustainable cities outside Disney World in Florida and Syracuse, N.Y. Both named “Destiny,” the cities aim for LEED certification from the U.S. Green Buildings Council. In N.Y., plans include a renewable energy plant, horizontal elevators to take people around the car-less city and a monorail to the Syracuse airport and downtown. In Florida, on the cite of the old Yeehaw Junction (maybe you’ve seen the turnpike signs), plans include an eco-industrial park for clean-energy businesses, canals and lakes for drainage, solar panels and a reservoir to catch rainwater. Jobs close to home will be a key. (Source: Greenwire)