Majority still supports action on climate

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll suggests people in the United States still largely believe the government should regulate greenhouse gases even if it means paying more for energy.

They aren’t wild, however, at the thought of picking up some of the tab for other countries, which would likely be part of any international climate agreement.

Sixty-five percent of respondents answered affirmatively when asked if the government should regulate greenhouse gas emissions, compared to 29 percent who said no. Sixty percent said they would still support the policy if it raised their energy bills $10 more a month; 55 percent would support regulating greenhouse gases even if those costs increased $25 a month.

There was less positive feelings for the idea of paying into a $10 billion/year fund to help developing countries lower their own emissions. Only 39 percent of respondents supported the plan, while 57 percent opposed it.

The “Climate gate” email controversy may be having some impact. Asked “How much do you trust the things that scientists say about the environment?”, 29 percent responded that they trusted the scientists “completely” or “a lot.” That’s largely in line with what previous polls showed. But the number of people who fall in the “do not trust” category rose to 40 percent, a 10 point increase from a poll taken in July.

And although 65 percent of respondents said they supported government regulation, the last time the question was asked by the poll back in June, 75 percent of respondents had said yes and only 22 percent had said no.