Fewer, Still Most, Back Regulations on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dec.18, 2009— -- With the Copenhagen conference reaching its climax, two-thirds of Americans support restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. But that's down from its peak, most oppose U.S. aid for such measures in developing nations – and amid increasingly politicized views, most also now say they distrust environmental scientists.

This ABC News/Washington Post poll finds support for government regulations on the release of greenhouse gases down from 75 percent this spring and summer to 65 percent now. Still, underscoring public concern, government action retains majority support if worked, but would raise energy costs by $10 or even $25 a month; 60 and 55 percent, respectively, back it.

Click here for a PDF with charts and questionnaire.

At the same time, far fewer, 39 percent, say the United States and other wealthy nations should contribute $10 billion a year to developing countries for this purpose. Poorer nations have made assistance a condition for agreement at Copenhagen, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday pledged support for the concept – with a far higher figure, $100 billion a year, by 2020.

These views come among a backdrop of increasing politicization on climate change – and heightened skepticism about scientific pronouncements on the subject. Fifty-six percent now say they don't trust the things scientists say about the environment – up from 49 percent, itself a substantial number, a year and a half ago. Similarly, 62 percent perceive "a lot of disagreement" among scientists on whether global warming is happening, up points points from summer 2008.

It's not clear that this change stems from the controversy surrounding the disclosure of e-mails from climate scientists at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, since similar shifts preceded that development. An ABC/Post poll last month, done before the e-mail disclosure, found an eight-point drop (to 72 percent) in views that global warming is happening.

PARTISAN – As in the last poll, the change is highly partisan in nature. The rise in distrust of what scientists say about the environment, and the sense that scientists disagree on climate change, both have occurred entirely among Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party – up by 13 points and 10 points, respectively, in this group.