scholarly journals Exploring the “Evil Twin of Global Warming”: Public Understanding of Ocean Acidification in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra L. Cooke ◽  
Sojung C. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Research Support ◽  
Critical Problems ◽  
The U.S

Ocean acidification (OA) occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves into oceans. OA and climate change are both caused by anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and many scientists consider them equally critical problems. We assess if preexisting beliefs, ideologies, value predispositions, and demographics affect OA perceptions among the U.S. public. Nearly 80% of respondents know little about OA, but concern increased following a message explaining OA and climate change, especially among females, liberals, and climate change believers. OA information seeking intentions and research support were also greater among females, liberals, and climate change believers. We discuss implications for efforts to increase OA public awareness.

scholarly journals Ocean acidification needs more publicity as part of a strategy to avoid a global decline in calcifier populations

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (6) ◽  
pp. 1227-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angus R. Westgarth-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Carbonic Acid ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Reduce Carbon Dioxide ◽  
The Uk

Ocean acidification (OA) is caused by increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, which dissolves in seawater to produce carbonic acid. This carbonic acid reduces the availability of dissolved aragonite needed for production of some invertebrate exoskeletons with potentially severe consequences for marine calcifier populations. There is a lack of public information on OA with less than 1% of press coverage on OA compared with climate change; OA is not included in UK GCSE and A Level specifications and textbooks; environmental campaigners are much less active in campaigning about OA compared with climate change. As a result of the lack of public awareness OA is rarely discussed in the UK Parliament. Much more public education about OA is needed so that people can respond to the urgent need for technological and lifestyle changes needed to massively reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

scholarly journals What Affects Chinese Residents’ Perceptions of Climate Change?

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4712 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinjia Wu ◽  
Jiansheng Qu ◽  
Hengji Li ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
Hongfen Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Climate Change Risk ◽  
Climate Governance ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
National Education ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation

The theme of global sustainable development has changed from environmental management to climate governance, and relevant policies on climate governance urgently need to be implemented by the public. The public understanding of climate change has become the prerequisite and basis for implementing various climate change policies. In order to explore the affected factors of climate change perception among Chinese residents, this study was conducted across 31 provinces and regions of China through field household surveys and interviews. Combined with the residents’ perception of climate change with the possible affected factors, the related factors affecting Chinese residents’ perception of climate change were explored. The results show that the perceptive level of climate change of Chinese residents is related to the education level and the household size of residents. Improving public awareness of climate change risk in the context of climate change through multiple channels will also help to improve residents’ awareness of climate change. On the premise of improving the level of national education, improving education on climate change in school education and raising awareness of climate change risk among dependents will help to improve the level of Chinese residents’ awareness of climate change, which could be instrumental in promoting public participation in climate change mitigation and adaptation actions.

scholarly journals Public Understanding of Cigarette Smoke Chemicals: Longitudinal Study of US Adults and Adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 747-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Jeong ◽  
Seth M Noar ◽  
Dongyu Zhang ◽  
Jennifer R Mendel ◽  
Robert P Agans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cigarette Smoke ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Food And Drug Administration ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Information Seeking Behavior ◽  
Chemical Information ◽  
The Us ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Abstract Introduction The US Food and Drug Administration has increased communication efforts that aim to raise public awareness of the harmful constituents (ie, chemicals) in cigarette smoke. We sought to investigate whether the public’s awareness of these chemicals has increased in light of such efforts. Methods Participants were national probability samples of 11 322 US adults and adolescents recruited in 2014–2015 (wave 1) and 2016–2017 (wave 2). Cross-sectional telephone surveys assessed awareness of 24 cigarette smoke chemicals at both timepoints. Results The proportion of US adults aware of cigarette smoke chemicals did not differ between waves 1 and 2 (25% and 26%, p = .19). In contrast, awareness of chemicals among adolescents fell from 28% to 22% (p < .001), mostly due to lower awareness of carbon monoxide, arsenic, benzene, and four other chemicals. Belief that most of the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke come from burning the cigarette also fell from waves 1 to 2 (adults: 31% vs. 26%; adolescents: 47% vs. 41%, both ps < .05). Participants were more likely to be aware of cigarette smoke chemicals if they had been exposed to anti-smoking campaign advertisements (p < .05) or had previously sought chemical information (p < .05). Cigarette smoke chemical awareness did not differ between smokers and nonsmokers. Conclusion Awareness of cigarette smoke chemicals remains low and unchanged among adults and decreased somewhat among adolescents. The association of chemical awareness with information exposure via campaigns and information seeking behavior is promising. More concerted communication efforts may be needed to increase public awareness of cigarette smoke chemicals, which could potentially discourage smoking. Implications Awareness of the toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke may contribute to quitting. The US Food and Drug Administration is making efforts to increase public awareness of these chemicals. Two national surveys (2014–2017) found that chemical awareness was low among adults and adolescents. Although awareness did not change among adults, awareness among adolescents dropped over time. In addition, exposure to anti-smoking campaigns and chemical information seeking behavior were associated with higher awareness of chemicals in cigarette smoke. Campaigns and other efforts may be needed to increase awareness of cigarette smoke chemicals.

Communication on Climate Change and Energy Alternatives in the United States

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toby Bolsen ◽  
Matthew A. Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
News Coverage ◽  
Climate Science ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Information ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
The Public ◽  
Scientific Consensus ◽  
The U.S

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science. Please check back later for the full article. Most of what people think about politics comes from information acquired via exposure to mass media. Media thus serve a vital role in democracy as a fundamental conduit of political information. Scholars study the factors that drive news coverage about political issues, including the rise of discourse on climate change and shifts in media coverage over time. Climate change first received sustained attention in the U.S. press in the late 1980s and early 1990s. As scientific consensus emerged on the issue, interest groups and other actors emerged who accentuated the inherent uncertainty of climate science as a way to cast doubt on the existence of scientific consensus. The politicization of climate science has resulted in uncertainty among the public about its existence, anxiety about the effects of a fundamental transformation of U.S. energy systems, and support for the status quo in terms of the use of traditional energy sources. Media coverage often magnified the voices of contrarian scientists and skeptics because journalistic norms provided equal space to all sides, a semblance of false balance in news coverage that has persisted through the mid 2000s. By this time, the U.S. public had fractured along partisan lines due to rhetoric employed to generate support by elites. Media fragmentation and the rise of partisan news outlets further contributed to polarization, especially given the tendency of individuals to seek political information about climate change from trusted and credible sources. More recently, new media has come to play an increasingly significant role in communicating information on climate change to the public. Ultimately, there is a need for knowledge-based journalism in communicating climate change and energy alternatives to all segments of the U.S. public, but doing this effectively requires engagement with a broader audience in the debate over how best to address climate change. “Honest brokers” must be referenced in the media as they are best equipped to discuss the issue with citizens of different political identities and cultural worldviews. The success of collective efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change requires not only scientific consensus but the ability to communicate the science in a way that generates greater consensus among the public.

scholarly journals Global Research on Carbon Emissions: A Scientometric Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lebunu Hewage Udara Willhelm Abeydeera ◽  
Jayantha Wadu Mesthrige ◽  
Tharushi Imalka Samarasinghalage
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Carbon Emission ◽  
Research Work ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scientometric Analysis ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
Global Research

Greenhouse gases such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide have been recognized as the prime cause of global climate change, which has received significant global attention. Among these gases, carbon dioxide is considered as the prominent gas which motivated researchers to explore carbon reduction and mitigation strategies. Research work on this domain expands from carbon emission reporting to identifying and implementing carbon mitigation and reduction strategies. A comprehensive study to map global research on carbon emissions is, however, not available. Therefore, based on a scientometric analysis method, this study reviewed the global literature on carbon emissions. A total of 2945 bibliographic records, from 1981 to 2019, were extracted from the Web of Science core collection database and analyzed using techniques such as co-author and co-citation analysis. Findings revealed an increasing trend of publications in the carbon emission research domain, which has been more visible in the past few years, especially during 2016–2018. The most significant contribution to the domain was reported from China, the United States, and England. While most prolific authors and institutions of the domain were from China, authors and institutions from the United States reported the best connection links. It was revealed that evaluating greenhouse gas emissions and estimating the carbon footprint was popular among the researchers. Moreover, climate change and environmental effects of carbon emissions were also significant points of concern in carbon emission research. The key findings of this study will be beneficial for the policymakers, academics, and institutions to determine the future research directions as well as to identify with whom they can consult to assist in developing carbon emission control policies and future carbon reduction targets.

scholarly journals Impact of Anthropogenic Climate Change on United States Major Hurricane Landfall Frequency

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma L. Levin ◽  
Hiroyuki Murakami
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Anthropogenic Climate Change ◽  
Buffer System ◽  
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Major Hurricane ◽  
The U.S

Although anthropogenic climate change has contributed to warmer ocean temperatures that are seemingly more favorable for Atlantic hurricane development, no major hurricanes made landfall in the United States between 2006 and 2016. The U.S., therefore, experienced a major hurricane landfall drought during those years. Using the high-resolution Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory 25 km grid High-Resolution Forecast-Oriented Low Ocean Resolution (HiFLOR) global climate model, the present study shows that increases in anthropogenic forcing, due to increases in greenhouse gasses, are associated with fewer long-duration major hurricane landfall droughts in the U.S., which implies an increase in major hurricane landfall frequency. We create six different fixed-distance ‘buffers’ that artificially circle the United States coastline in 100 km radial increments and can compensate for the bias in hurricane landfall calculations with six-hourly datasets. Major hurricane landfall frequencies are computed by applying the buffer zones to the six-hourly observed and simulated storm track datasets, which are then compared with the observed recorded major hurricane frequencies. We found that the major hurricane landfall frequencies generated with the 200 km buffer using the six-hourly observed best-track dataset are most correlated with the observed recorded major hurricane landfall frequencies. Using HiFLOR with an implemented buffer system, we found less frequent projections of long-duration major hurricane landfall drought events in controlled scenarios with greater anthropogenic global warming, which is independent on the radius of the coastal buffer. These results indicate an increase in U.S. major hurricane landfall frequencies with an increase in anthropogenic warming, which could pose a substantial threat to coastal communities in the U.S.

scholarly journals Increasing Influence of Party Identification on Perceived Scientific Agreement and Support for Government Action on Climate Change in the United States, 2006–12

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. McCright ◽  
Riley E. Dunlap ◽  
Chenyang Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Party Identification ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Government Action ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
Litmus Test

Abstract Since the mid-2000s, U.S. conservative leaders and Republican politicians have stepped up efforts to challenge the reality and seriousness of anthropogenic climate change (ACC). Especially with the rise of the Tea Party in 2009, ACC denial has become something of a litmus test for Republican politicians to prove their conservative bona fides. Two recent studies find that misperception of scientific agreement on ACC is associated with lower levels of support for government action to deal with ACC. Using nationally representative survey data from 2006 and 2012, the analytical model developed in those two studies was applied to investigate whether the effect of political orientation on perceived scientific agreement and support for government action to reduce emissions has increased since the heightened ACC denial by Republican politicians beginning in 2009. The results indicated that political ideology and party identification are moderately strong predictors of perceived scientific agreement; beliefs about the timing, human cause, seriousness, and threat of global warming; and support for government action in both 2006 and 2012. Further, as expected, the effect of party identification on perceived scientific agreement and support for government action increased from 2006 and 2012, evidence that rank-and-file Republicans in the general public are more strongly embracing the ACC denial espoused by Republican politicians in recent years. Such increased partisanship poses a formidable barrier to public understanding of ACC.

Hurricanes and their Environmental Effects in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Telisa Fears ◽  
Katrina Walls ◽  
Jeffalyn Johnson ◽  
Courtney Boston
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Ecological Systems ◽  
Ecological Effects ◽  
Human Understanding ◽  
The U.S

Previous research concerning climate change in the United States clearly illustrates the necessity for observing how ecological systems are influenced by natural disasters (Staudinger et. al. 2013; Nelson et. al. 2013). Traditionally, ecology is concerned with the relationships between organisms (human and other living beings) and their environment (Tyler & Spoolman, 2013). Human understanding of how organisms are affected by, how they adapt to, and how they work to sustain their environment has become even more diverse in recent years (Staudinger et. al. 2013). This may be due to a number of environmental factors that have occurred in recent years. However, this paper seeks to examine the ecological effects of the wind factor. In particular, we address the ecological effects of hurricanes as it relates to (1) environmental outcomes and alterations among organisms in the United States, (2) the well-being and adaptation of human and organismic life (i.e. animals, plants, etc.) post Hurricane Katrina and Camille (3) and how hurricanes alter and transform health and restoration patterns in the U.S.

Fuelling America's Climatic Apocalypse

2007 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Leduc
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fossil Fuel ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
The World ◽  
Political Economic

AbstractThis paper examines the powerful intersection of Christian fundamentalism and fossil fuel interests in the United States' Republican administration's policy response to climate change. Of particular interest is the increasing recognition that apocalyptic Christian beliefs are informing America's political economic and public understanding of environmental issues, thus allowing climate change to be interpreted from a religious frame of reference that could impact a viable response in a country whose GHG emissions are amongst the highest in the world. While liberal secularists may think the Christian apocalypse to be a misguided belief, scientific discourses on the potential interacting impacts of climatic changes and energy shortages offer an almost complementary rational depiction of apocalypse. By bringing these Christian and secular revelations into dialogue, the following interdisciplinary analysis offers a unique perspective on the way in which apocalyptic thought can both negatively and positively inform a political economic response to climate change.

Congress as a Handler of Challenges: The Historical Record

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Mayhew
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Separation Of Powers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Historical Record ◽  
American System ◽  
Late Eighteenth Century ◽  
Late Eighteenth ◽  
New Nation ◽  
The U.S

Can the U.S. Congress address major challenges? Can Congress govern? Questions like these keep getting asked. This article addresses them by consulting the record since 1789. Given the separation-of-powers structure of the American system, such questions cannot be addressed directly. They need to be deconstructed. The presidency needs to enter the discussion, too. Also, what is a major challenge? To identify such challenges, and to supply a way of seeing how and in what respects Congress, as well as in a background frame the U.S. system more broadly, has performed, I draw on comparative analysis. How has the United States participated in thirteen major “impulses” that have invested a comparable set of nations at various times since the late eighteenth century? These challenges range from launching a new nation through building a welfare state through dealing with climate change and debt/deficit problems today.

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