Most Americans back a $10 monthly global warming tax
mongabay.com
June 20, 2007





73 percent of Americans back a $10-per-month charge to underwrite renewable energy production reports a new survey by New Scientist Magazine, Stanford University and Resources for the Future, an independent think tank. The research indicates that 85 percent of Americans believe global warming in currently happening.

The poll, conducted among 1,491 adults, shows that Americans are willing to support policies to combat global warming, provided they aren't too costly. Americans are apparently more willing to pay for cleaner electricity than cleaner fuel, which might be a cheaper solution. The transportation sector accounts for about one third of U.S. carbon emissions, while electricty production generates about 40 percent of U.S. emissions.

"Given the probable costs, the US public has a clear preference for action in the electricity sector rather than vehicle fuel. At the lower end of the costs we quoted, all the electricity policies won majority support," stated a joint release from the survey's sponsors. "In contrast, none of the vehicle fuel policies gained majority backing, even at the lowest costs quoted."


"A low-carbon standard for electricity generation was backed by 73 percent of respondents who were told it would cause a typical monthly bill to rise by $10," it added. "By contrast, a cap-and-trade scheme for power companies was backed by only 47 percent at this price point."

The survey found regional differences in support for climate change mitigation initiatives, with residents in the western United State more likely to favor such policies than those in other regions of the country. It also found that parents and people with higher incomes are also more likely to support action on climate.



"For politicians who want to find voter-friendly ways to fight global warming, our poll provides some comfort," said Peter Aldhous, New Scientist's San Francisco Bureau Chief.

"Our findings suggest that Americans are open to policies they think will work and that are affordable. Policy-makers who want to avoid public resistance to their proposals will find useful guidance in our numbers," added Stanford Professor Jon Krosnick, who jointly designed the survey.

GLOBAL WARMING POLL RESULTS



Comments?



News options
News index | RSS | News Feed


Advertisements:


Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing


MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)

CONTENTS
Rainforests
Tropical Fish
News
Madagascar
Pictures
Kids' Site
Languages
XML | RSS Feeds
T-shirts
Newsletter
About
Contact
Archives
Interns
Help


SUPPORT
Help support mongabay.com when you buy from Amazon.com

POPULAR PAGES
Rainforests
Rain forests
Amazon deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation stats
Why rainforests matter
Saving rainforests
Deforestation stats
Rainforest canopy

News
Most popular articles
Worth saving?
Forest conservation
Earth Day
Poverty alleviation
Cell phones in Africa
Seniors helping Africa
Saving orangutans in Borneo
Palm oil
Amazon palm oil
Future of the Amazon
Cane toads
Dubai environment
Investing to save rainforests
Visiting the rainforest
Defaunation
Blue lizard
Amazon fires
Extinction debate
Extinction crisis
Malaysian palm oil
Borneo

News topics
Amazon
Biofuels
Brazil
Carbon Finance
Climate Change
Deforestation
Energy
Happy-upbeat
Interviews
Oceans
Palm oil
Rainforests
Solutions
Wildlife
MORE TOPICS

Advertising by





T-SHIRTS

  • Madagascar Wildlife
  • Dancing lemurs
  • Don't fall asleep the sloths will eat you
  • Sucking on this frog may make you insane


    CALENDARS

  • Mount Kenya
  • East Africa Safari Wildlife
  • Kenya's Turkana People
  • Peru
  • African Wildlife
  • Alaska
  • China
  • Madagascar Chameleons


    CANVAS BAGS

  • Hallucinogenic frog bag
  • Madagascar wildlife bag





  • Copyright mongabay 2007