EAST LANSING, Mich., April 19 (UPI) -- While growing scientific consensus says global warming is real, Americans have become increasingly polarized on the issue, a study by a U.S. researcher says.
Michigan State University sociologist Aaron M. McCright reports the gap between Democrats and Republicans who believe global warming is happening increased 30 percent between 2001 and 2010, calling it a "depressing" trend that's keeping meaningful national energy strategies from being discussed.
"Instead of a public debate about different policies to deal with global warming, a significant percentage of the American public is still debating the science," McCright said. "As a result, we're failing to significantly address one of the most serious problems of our time."
The MSU-led study found people on the right of the political spectrum increasingly deny the existence of global warming while people on the left generally believe in global warming more now than they did 10 years ago, a university release said Tuesday.
Of those in the study identifying themselves in a 2010 survey as Republicans, just 29 percent said they believe in global warming, a drop from 49 percent in a 2001 poll.
Meanwhile, the percentage of Democrats who believe global warming has already begun increased from about 60 percent in 2001 to 70 percent in 2010.
"In the last few decades political elites have become polarized on climate change," McCright said. "This has driven the political divide on this topic within the American public, as regular citizens have taken cues from ideological and party leaders they trust."
