Americans Less Concerned About Climate Change
CNN senior data reporter Harry Enten shared insights on Thursday, noting that Americans appear less worried about becoming victims of climate change and natural disasters.
According to a recent Gallup poll, only 40% of Americans now express that they are “very worried about climate change,” which marks a 6% decline since 2020. This shift has led some liberal voices, including Congressional Democrats, to criticize climate change and former President Donald Trump in light of the recent severe flooding in central Texas.
Enten remarked, “Americans are indeed concerned about climate change, but they aren’t particularly afraid of it.” He pointed out that climate activists have struggled to resonate with the public on this issue. He referenced data since 1989, showing that concern fluctuated, but the numbers were stagnant around 40% in the year 2000.
He continued, remarking on the general perception of natural disaster risk, stating that apprehension about being a victim has fallen from 38% to just 32% since 2006. Notably, only 27% of Democrats believe that climate change will affect their local environment.
Enten added, “Across all adults, that number is merely 17%. For Republicans, it’s just 6%, while a slim 16% of Democrats share the same concern.” He emphasized the difficulty people across different political affiliations have in accepting that climate change might impact their neighborhoods. Less than half of Democrats, Republicans, and independents seem to believe they could potentially be victims of natural disasters.
This view has been echoed by various prominent figures, including Bill Nye, who has pointed fingers at climate change and fossil fuel usage. CNN’s Dana Bash and Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro suggested that climate change played a role in the recent flooding during a segment of “Unionalized States.”
The floods in Texas have reportedly resulted in over 120 fatalities as of Thursday, including 27 campers from Camp Mystic All Girls Christian Camp. At least 150 individuals are still unaccounted for in Kerr County.
Historically, floods have been a recurring phenomenon since time immemorial, with some of the most devastating floods in U.S. history occurring over a century ago. Notably, a disaster in Pennsylvania on May 31, 1889 unleashed 16 million tons of water, claiming over 2,200 lives, while the Mississippi River flood in 1927 resulted in at least 250 fatalities.
