According to the Pew Research Center, “there has been a sharp decline over the past year in the percentages of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising. And fewer see global warming as a very serious problem–35 percent say that today, down from 44 percent in April 2008.” This decline in belief transcends political parties, regional views, and most age groups.

In April 2008, 83 percent of Democrats, 75 percent of Independents, and 49 percent of Republications believed there was solid evidence of global warming. Today, those numbers are down to 75, 53, and 35 percent respectively – amounting to an 8 percent drop among Democrats, a 22 percent decline among Independents, and a 14 percent reduction among Republicans.

There are regional differences in opinions on global warming, but across the board, all regions were less likely to believe there was solid evidence to support the climate fears. The greatest decline in this belief came in the Mountain West region, where 31 percent fewer people this year believed there was solid evidence. People in the Northeast, South Atlantic, and Pacific West were most likely to respond that there was solid evidence of global warming.

The study also broke the responses into age groups. Across all age groups 30 years old or older,  respondents who believed there was solid evidence of global warming declined. Young people were far more likely to not only believe that there was evidence of global warming, but also that it was a “very serious” problem. Five percent more people under 30 answered “very serious,” compared to a decline of 14 percent among people 30-49 who were asked the same question.

Source: Pew Research Center for People and the Press: 10/22/09

Despite growing skepticism of global warming evidence, half of Americans favor setting limits on carbon emissions – even if a carbon limit leads to higher energy prices. Although the national media focus is shifting back towards climate legislation, the topic does not currently resonate widely with the public. The Pew survey found that “just 14 percent say they have heard a lot about the so-called ‘cap and trade’ policy.” Over half of Americans (55 percent) said they have heard nothing about proposed climate legislation.

The same survey found that only 23 percent of those polled were able to correctly identify cap-and-trade as an energy and environment issue being discussed in Congress. Nearly half of survey respondents were unsure of the meaning of cap-and-trade, and 29 percent mistakenly answered that cap-and-trade deals with health care, banking reform, or unemployment.

Questions remain as to why the public is less concerned with global warming this year. Is there less media focus on the issue? Would the results have been different if Pew had used the term “climate change” instead of global warming?

When Neville Isdell, the former Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, spoke at the Gathering of One Hundred conference in Washington D.C., he expressed his thoughts on how business can tackle climate change. He called for the formation of new partnerships between business, government, and civil society, as part of what he referred to as the “triangle of sustainability.” Adding, “the political climate has changed. There is a new urgency among governments to address climate change.” Mr. Isdell also observed that this change must come amid our current economic recession, and that the role of business is to:

• Address our footprint;
• Extend our handprint; and
• Help shape the regulatory blueprint

In an effort to address their footprint, Coca-Cola is working on reducing their packaging, and increasing the amount of bottles they recycle. To better extend their handprint, Mr. Isdell says Coca-Cola has changed their refrigeration technology from HFC’s to a more efficient CO2 variety, and has challenged the rest of the industry to join them so the price can come down and the technology can be more broadly deployed. Finally he spoke of helping to shape the regulatory blueprint by endorsing the Caring for Climate Leadership platform of the UN Global compact in 2007.

For all that companies are currently doing, we need to do more.  As Mr. Isdell said, “The mindset of business needs to move from ‘should,’ to ‘must.’”

What do you think of Coca-Cola’s initiatives? Are they on the right track or is there another motive?

photo credit: World Economic Forum (flickr)