WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- U.S. poll results released Friday show most American respondents support legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even if it comes at a personal cost.
The Program on International Policy Attitudes and Knowledge Networks poll found 81 percent of Americans surveyed support what's commonly known as the McCain-Lieberman legislation, which calls for large companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to year 2000 levels by 2010, and to year 1990 levels by 2020.
Sixty-seven percent of Americans said they still would support legislation even if it cost each American household $15 a month, the poll indicated.
Although more than 75 percent of respondents embraced the idea of reducing the effects of global warming, the number of people who felt it was a serious problem that needed immediate action dropped by 10 percentage points compared to survey results in 1998.
"The concern about global warming is pretty much flat, if anything there's been a slight diminishment in the sense of urgency," Steven Kull, director of PIPA, told United Press International.
"Broadly, people are quite concerned about the environment and they say that it does influence their vote," he said.
