Global Warming: For Americans, The Pleasant Phase Of Climate Change Will End Soon, Study Says

"Why is it that with an administration that is gung-ho on climate we are in the eighth year and there is no plan at all? No sketch, no white paper, no scenario to 2050?"

According to Egan and Mullin, the answer may be that so far, the majority of Americans have experienced better weather as a result of climate change. The study published in the journal Nature notes that about 80 percent of Americans live in areas where global warming over the last four decades has meant more pleasant winters without making summers unbearably hot.

Patrick J. Egan comments in an NYU media release.

"Rising temperatures are ominous symptoms of global climate change, but Americans are experiencing them at times of the year when warmer days are welcomed."

The two researchers used weather data to confirm a link between local weather and how people felt about climate change. They also analyzed patterns of migration across the country to gauge general preferences. Mullin draws the connection between the weather and the attitudes of the public.

"Weather patterns in recent decades have been a poor source of motivation for Americans to demand policies to combat the climate change problem."

The same researchers, however, found that Americans' complacency about climate change is likely to change. By the end of the 21st century, it is projected that about 90 percent of the American population will be experiencing much less pleasant conditions. Over the last 40 years, January temperatures have increased by about 1.04 degrees Fahrenheit per decade, while average July temperatures rose only by 0.13 degrees Fahrenheit over the same period. Summer temperatures, however, will eventually begin to rise faster than winter temperatures, creating a change for the worse. Unfortunately, by the time Americans become dissatisfied with the weather, climate change experts warn that it will be too late.

The disputes, however, leave the question of why the American public is, in fact, reluctant to take specific action on global warming or climate change unanswered.

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