Poll: Obama, scientists sink on climate

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Scientists and U.S. President Barack Obama both have stumbled on climate change in the eyes of many Americans, a Washington Post-ABC News poll indicates.

Results released Friday showed increased doubt and division about what is being said on the environment, as well as a perception that scientists widely disagree about whether global warming is happening.

While Obama was meeting with world leaders in Copenhagen, Denmark, trying to hammer out a climate change agreement, U.S. approval for his handling of the global warming issue tumbled to 45 percent in the latest poll from 54 percent in June, the Post said.

However, nearly two-thirds of respondents said the federal government should regulate the release of greenhouse gases to try to curb global warming, poll results indicated.

Fifty-seven percent of people surveyed said they oppose a proposal in which the United States and other industrialized countries would contribute $10 billion annually to help poorer countries pay for reducing the amount of greenhouse gases they release. Thirty-nine percent said they support it.

Four in 10 respondents said they have little to no trust in what scientists say about the environment, the Post said. More than six in 10 survey participants said they believe there is a lot of disagreement among scientists on the issue of global warming.

The nationwide telephone poll sampled 1,003 adults Thursday through Sunday. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.