who think there is agreement among the
Among these, number four is perhaps the
experts on climate change and its causes. Among scientists who do peer -reviewed research on climate change, various surveys show some 98 percent concur that global
most critical. Leiserowitz characterizes this as a “gateway belief.� Those who understand that scientists are in agreement on climate change and its causes are likely to accept the
warming is happening, primarily because we burn fossil fuels. For those who follow the issue closely, this comes as no surprise. Among the general public, however, this vital
first three points. Those who accept the first three points are likely to be concerned or alarmed about the situation and expect their government to do something about it. This is
piece of information has gone unnoticed (see below).
where that elusive phenomenon called political will kicks in, and we inch closer to the tipping point for pricing carbon. Which takes us back to that delightfully surprising poll I mentioned at the beginning about large majorities supporting a revenueneutral tax swap on carbon (see below).
The opportunity: Based on extensive research done by the Yale Project over the years, here are the five most important things that need to be communicated to the public about climate change:
Leiserowitz et al (2011) As one might expect, strong majorities of
1) Climate change is happening
Democrats and Independents would support a tax shift, but 51 percent of Republicans also express support for a carbon tax swap, with only 25 percent likely to oppose. What
2) We're causing it this time 3) There are serious consequences to humans and nature
makes this poll even more remarkable is that support for this type of a carbon price exists even in the face of limited understanding among the public on climate change (that
4) Experts agree on the first 3 points 5) There are lots of options to solve this problem and to make our lives better.
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