Lawrence Solomon: Global warming? What global warming?

(April 26, 2011) A plurality of the world’s population is unaware that Earth has been warming, according to a just released Gallup poll.A plurality of the world’s population is unaware that Earth has been warming, according to a just released Gallup poll. This plurality – 36% of the world’s population – overwhelmingly resides in the undeveloped parts of Asia and Africa, where access to the media is limited. The same Gallup Poll found that 35% of the world’s population have heard of global warming and predominantly blame humans. This 35% has ready access to media information.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where 54% are not aware that their climate is alleged to be warming, a mere 22% have heard of the global warming issue and predominantly blame humans for the warming. In undeveloped Asia, 48% are unaware that the climate is warming and 27% predominantly blame humans.

The Gallup survey did not investigate the role of the media in shaping public perceptions of global warming.

The Gallup Poll, which shows surveys results by 111 individual countries as well as by region, shows beliefs about global warming to vary dramatically from country to country. Only 4% of Greeks, for example, consider nature to be the dominant force in global warming, on fourth that of some of its neighbours. In North America, Canada and the U.S. are almost mirror images of each other in terms of beliefs in global warming.

To see Gallup’s questions, and the responses by region and by country, click here.

Lawrence Solomon is executive director of Energy Probe and the author of The Deniers.

About Lawrence Solomon

Lawrence Solomon is one of Canada's leading environmentalists. His book, The Conserver Solution (Doubleday) popularized the Conserver Society concept in the late 1970s and became the manual for those interested in incorporating environmental factors into economic life. An advisor to President Jimmy Carter's Task Force on the Global Environment (the Global 2000 Report) in the late 1970's, he has since been at the forefront of movements to reform foreign aid, stop nuclear power expansion and adopt toll roads. Mr. Solomon is a founder and managing director of Energy Probe Research Foundation and the executive director of its Energy Probe and Urban Renaissance Institute divisions. He has been a columnist for The Globe and Mail, a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the editor and publisher of the award-winning The Next City magazine, and the author or co-author of seven books, most recently The Deniers, a #1 environmental best-seller in both Canada and the U.S. .

View all posts by Lawrence Solomon →