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Guest Thinkers

Even on College Campuses, a “Two Americas” of Global Warming Perceptions Persists

My focus on the striking partisan differences in perceptions about the urgency and science of global warming has generated serious buzz at the NY Daily News, the Huffington Post, and elsewhere across the Web. For many insiders I talk to here in DC, they are stunned by the poll numbers. Indeed, there’s a false impression that the record amounts of media attention, the latest IPCC report, and Gore’s movie have all put to rest any serious public resistance to the idea that human activities might be contributing to the Earth’s warming.

Poll numbers aren’t the only indicator that a “two Americas” of global warming perceptions persists. Just show up at any of the many debates going on about global warming between College Dems and Republicans at campuses across the country. Consider this report from the American Eagle, the daily newspaper here at American University. Or this recent story from the daily newspaper at the University of Washington. In these debates, the student Dems argue that human-created carbon emissions and other greenhouse gases are responsible for global warming and that the problem is urgent. Student Republicans argue that there is still no scientific consensus on the issue.



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