Only 3% of US people think climate is most important issue

Has there ever been a greater disconnect between what the elected leaders are offering and what the public really wants?

Obama must know what these polls say, so when he tells us that “climate change is the greatest threat” we know he’s not doing it to win votes. If he is  hoping to “lead” the people, his failure is dismal.

Is there any doubt left that The Climate Cause serves politicians and not the people?

USA, Poll, Fox News, Climate Change, Greatest Threat, 2015

The numbers have shifted since July when the survey was last done. “Terrorism was up from 11% to 24% thanks to Paris. The economy and jobs was down from 30% to 21%. Climate change was all of 5% then, dropped to 3% now (pretty much in the error margin).

SOURCE:  Fox News Survey. 1,016 registered voters of a random national sample with a margin of error of plus or minus 3%.

 

8.5 out of 10 based on 61 ratings

121 comments to Only 3% of US people think climate is most important issue

  • #
    TdeF

    The real worry is that after Paris the great waffler and poor listener Malcolm Turnbull will justify introducing his long promised and beloved ETS without even support from his own party and to the cheers of Labor and the Greens when 90% of Australians, as in this survey, do not want it.

    This is despite the fact that this coalition government was elected in a landslide on a clear promise to get rid of the hated carbon tax just as clearly as the previous government promised categorically not to have one.

    Once again we have the spectacle of new style politicians completely ignoring the electorate to just please their friends and the leftist media and the Green voters. No wonder Liberal backbenchers are worried because this will cost them their seats and a carbon tax for another three years.

    362

    • #
      King Geo

      I don’t think Turnbull is that stupid. I have said before he will only consider introducing an ETS/CT in Oz if the Coalition get re-elected in a landslide Federal Election result late next year. If it is a close election result he will no doubt persist with the current “Direct Action” policy – e.g. grow more trees – no one will complain about that. Current polling 53-47 2PP indicates that the Coalition should would win an election if it was held any time soon but that would require a DD trigger. I believe the earliest the Federal Election can be held without a DD trigger is mid May next year. That is only just over 6 months away.

      80

      • #
        TdeF

        Not devious enough. If he can get away with it and he has made no secret about it because it cost him his job, why not? Especially with this senate which wants an ETS and the full support of the opposition. They will get the tax they all want and sure they can blame the coalition. Win, win.

        So if Turnbull loses the election the carbon tax will stay and he goes back to head of Goldman Sachs as ex Prime Minister and trading carbon credits. If he wins, of course it stays anyway.

        Unless you think Malcolm really is a selfless Liberal party stalwart thinking solely of the future of the coalition in government and not himself? Like Rudd, why would someone with a personal fortune want the job? You have to be skeptical about people’s motives too, not just the absurd Global Warming stuff. So far Malcolm is far closer to a Green than either of the other parties. The boats have already started arriving.

        140

        • #
          TdeF

          Besides, an ETS does not sound like a carbon tax but a complex private business among bankers. Which it is. However with the force of law, Australian companies will have to pay people overseas for the right to use power and do this through brokers. It is not trading. It is not even a tax. It is worse.

          220

        • #
          King Geo

          The problem that the Libs had was that Abbott’s popularity was terminal and steering the Coalition towards being a one term govt. Turnbull turned that around but the problem is that he has “leftie traits”. Would another Leader with more “rightest traits” have been a better option? e.g. Morrison or Pine. Why not Julie Bishop? – oh dear she is from WA – not enough voting clout. We will never know now. There is no way Turnbull will be replaced as Leader/PM now before the next Federal Election – his polling popularity is far too high. The ALP’s only hope to be competitive is to replace Shorten, and that is unlikely given the new “ALP Leader Spill Rules” introduced by Rudd in 2013. It seems the that ALP will be stuck with Shorten as their Leader. I can’t see the Coalition losing the next Federal Election. I like you TdeF detest the thought of an ETS/CT in Oz. But a Coalition win in 2016 is more likely to keep that ugly possibility from occurring.

          61

          • #
            TdeF

            The problem the Libs had was that they listened to the polls and even then there were only three votes in it including the Deputy PM.

            Yes, we were told time and again that Abbott was unpopular even though he was hitting every target despite a total blockage in the senate. Was he so unpopular. Howard had poor polling too and won. Never has the media been so anti a Prime Minister for no good reason, plus the continual undermining by Deputy PM Bishop and Communications Minister Turnbull who positively encouraged the ABC to ridicule Abbott and Hockey. We understand it all now. Remember all the leaks from the cabinet room? Consider also how much Abbott achieved. He would have done more except for a Labor/Green senate and loony independents. Repealing the Carbon and Mining taxes today would be impossible.

            What is absurd and hypocritical is the current Turnbull/Bishop demands for total unity and loyalty. When someone dedicates his political career so single mindedly to an ETS, it will happen. No will be able to say they were surprised, except perhaps his timid National party partners who were promised no change in policy. This is what Malcolm wants and so far he has achieved his goals so why stop? An ETS will be announced and supported by all sides of politics but not the people. This is the new media driven world where politicians worry about polls.

            170

            • #
              King Geo

              I agree with a lot you say. However most of my friends, like myself, are Liberal voters and all agree that Abbott had to go. Sure the MSM targeted Abbott but he was no saint. He made lots of gaffs and his “captain calls” on some issues e.g. awarding Oz’s highest honour, Knight of the Order of Australia, to Prince Philip sewed the seeds for his demise.

              67

              • #

                “However most of my friends, like myself, are Liberal voters and all agree that Abbott had to go.”

                Well you are…. I want to say fools… but I wont.

                150

              • #
                TdeF

                So Abbott made a political error as the Australian press decided Queens Honours were obsolete. They work really well in the UK as with Sir Elton John and Sir Sebastian Coe and Sir Paul McCartney. A zero cost way of encouraging private largesse and rewarding people. According to Australia media, Abbott punched a wall forty years ago, as if a real boxer would do such a thing. He looked at his watch in a debate and was labelled a mysogynist in defence of mysogynist Peter Slipper. He also winked. He thought about questions unlike Kevin Rudd and answered them unlike Malcolm Turnbull.

                However Abbott is a man of the people who always donated weeks of his time every year, really saved drowning swimmers while risking his own life and drove straight into raging bush fires with his team. No, give me a rich merchant banker any day.

                240

              • #
                Dennis

                Tony Abbott led the Coalition in 2010 to almost defeating Labor, yet in 2007 Labor won a substantial majority of electorates. And in 2013 he led the Coalition to an historical landslide defeat of Labor. And created a problem, too many new MPs and too many MPs who could not be given the positions they thought that they deserved.

                Turnbull and Bishop white anted Abbott from the time he replaced Turnbull as Liberal Leader, they leaked information to the media and misrepresented Abbott, generalised weaselling, lies, fabrications and character assassination. And ABC was only too happy to spread the spin, and Faux Facts, and other left leaning media. Labor no doubt could not believe their good fortune having insiders working for them.

                Queens Honours was one example of lies: The Queen requested all Commonwealth of Nations member country governments to nominate Prince Phillip for a knighthood to recognise his very long service record to the Commonwealth of Nations. Australia being one of the member counties. The knights & dames awards apart from the special honour for Prince Phillip were restricted to only two positions of public service, governors general and heads of defence forces, positions that in ceremonial terms are directly related to the Queen of Australia. Despite the truth the story continues to be reported, that Tony Abbott brought back knights & dames, as if the old system had been brought back.

                I realise that many people believed that Tony Abbott had to go, and I am amazed that so many people accepted the media spin, and that many people now want him back after experiencing the incompetent new PM.

                Be careful what you wish for.

                170

              • #
                King Geo

                TeF’s comment.

                “However Abbott is a man of the people who always donated weeks of his time every year, really saved drowning swimmers while risking his own life and drove straight into raging bush fires with his team. No, give me a rich merchant banker any day”.

                Abbott has some great traits, as you point out above. But at the end of the day Abbott’s Party decided that they couldn’t win the 2016 Federal Election with him as PM. The Polls were too negative for too long – no matter what the reason that is fact. I, like all other AGW sceptics on the this fine blog, share Abbott’s view on AGW, ie it is nonsense but the important point is getting the Coalition re-elected in 2016 and not being a one term govt. For the ALP to win govt in 2016 is unthinkable – we don’t want to see a repeat of that dark period (2007-2013).

                23

              • #
                TdeF

                Excellent comments from Dennis. I did not know that Abbott simply responded to a request from the Palace. We are a Commonwealth after all, despite what Malcolm would like.

                60

            • #
              Ross

              TdeF

              As someone looking at from the outside I agree with you but Turnbull’s comment the other day in his speech saying ISIL is weak tells me he is getting poor advise or isn’t as switched on as the MSM want everyone to believe. To say that in a major prepared speech is stupid– or maybe he actually believes it.
              If ISIL is weak how come it can create so much fear and havoc around the world after about a year of USA bombing of their bases ? Saying it actually put Australians at risk ( in my view) –ISIL will now quite possibly be saying ” we’ll show you who is weak”
              Given that, I’d say Turnbull will prove to be very difficult to predict in what he’ll say and do on anything, especially climate change issues.

              140

              • #
                TdeF

                Like everyone else, I was told Turnbull was a (technological) genius even if he simply backed entrepreneur Sean Howard to the tune of a mere $500K and walked away with a quick $55 million. It’s what merchant bankers do. Even today there is not a single criticism of this merchant banker lawyer. Unlike Abbott, Turnbull will make no mistakes by the simple expedient of doing nothing and agreeing with everyone, which is a mistake few will call out.

                However on Global Warming, he is off to Paris. It is why he had to act before Canning made disposing of Abbott impossible.

                On ISIL as on Climate Change, he will agree with everything Obama says because he is disinterested in international affairs. In other words, Turnbull is politically a Green supporter not a conservative. Loves the ABC who can do no wrong and certainly owes them for getting rid of Abbott. Abbott could not even wink. Malcolm stopped the valid inquiry into the BOM instantly. His only passion is an ETS. His only idea is a 50% increase in the GST. My worry is that an ETS once in place will be impossible to remove, which is the whole point.

                201

              • #
                Manfred

                …tells me he is getting poor advise

                Ross, there’s the rub.
                He’ll be ‘fed’ what the bureaucratic ecocracy deign to feed him.
                (Once known as the Civil Service and famously impartial, it appears infected with the same disorder seen over at The Conversation. ‘Civil’ seems unfortunately to have become on the one hand, an archaic term, and on the other, one hijacked by the UN when it speaks risibly about its own accredited drones, aka in UN-speak as ‘civil’ society, deliberately conflated with, though utterly distinct from, ‘civilised’ society).

                First order of business for any serious PM, decapitate the Civil Service and install your own executive foot soldiers. Implementation is key, policy is window dressing.

                80

              • #
                Dennis

                Don’t forget that for two years Tony Abbott was briefed on all issues of government including of course defence but Malcolm Turnbull would not have been. Turnbull lectured the Labor Party in Parliament after they dumped PM Rudd, Turnbull said that was the wrong thing to do to a first term PM who led the party to victory and into government.

                Abbott led the party close to victory in 2010 and to a landslide win in 2013, and his government achieved a whole lot more than the media was prepared to broadcast. Internationally Abbott was very well received which was a bonus for foreign affairs and trade. And this is part of the reason why he was invited as PM to deliver the Margaret Thatcher Address in London which he said he was unable to attend while he was PM. But as an ordinary MP he called the organisers and they welcomed him.

                The point is that Turnbull is not across all of the issues and is floundering around. And he waffles and lectures to try and sound important.

                160

              • #
                clive

                I keep saying this,you never reward”Traitors”and you never believe polls.Someone once said”never conduct a poll,unless you know what the result will be”Just before Abbott was removed,the polls were saying that Canning would be a tight contest.The poll turned out to be “Wrong”The Libs have gone to the”Left”under Turnbull,so unless you want to vote for the”Left”then stop voting for them.ALA in the Senate and Nats or Independent in the reps is the only way to stop the Libs trashing Democracy.

                10

            • #
              el gordo

              Julia and Tony both got a drubbing from the media and Tony in particular was roasted on the left wing twittersphere.

              The new PM doesn’t have any of that to worry about, he is Mr Consensus. On climate change Turnbull is an ignorant dill, yet he has already extricated himself until 2020. With a new man in the oval office you can get a feel for this new world order.

              90

              • #
                Dennis

                Gillard’s attacks against Abbott were engineered for her by her imported from the UK Labour Party spin doctor John McTiernan.

                He used exactly the same charge of being a misogynist against the now PM Cameron when he was the leader of the opposition. And what I find somewhat amusing is the fact that a man wrote her speech which was applauded by her feminist followers as being a masterstroke.

                110

      • #

        I guarantee you Malcolm is that stupid. He will leave Paris having been the biggest contributor, mark my words.

        He does not need to fear an election. What are people going to do, elect Labour who will be even worse.

        Malcolm can do whatever he likes and he knows it. Watch him trump Al Gore as the new world leader on climate action.

        Call me out on it if Im wrong.

        120

        • #
          el gordo

          ‘I guarantee you Malcolm is that stupid. He will leave Paris having been the biggest contributor, mark my words.’

          Respectfully disagree, scaper gave us the drum on this, Turnbull, Bishop and Hunt will go with what they’ve got. They will make hollow promises to sooth the klimatariat and international community.

          ‘He does not need to fear an election. What are people going to do, elect Labour who will be even worse.’

          Talcum does not want to go down in history as the politician who split the Coalition over a single issue.

          30

          • #

            Hope your right.

            Suspect you couldn’t be more wrong.

            Everyone seems to underestimate Malcolm’s global leadership ambitions. If anything I have played down what I expect he will do when the spotlight is on him with an international audience.

            I will publicly admit my error on this site and be very happy doing it, but I am in no fear of having to do so.

            10

      • #
        Dennis

        How could he justify a tax, carbon or emissions trading, considering that Australia has met all Kyoto emissions targets to date, and now in 2015 has met the 2020 target already?

        60

    • #
      Dennis

      The Australian, Dennis Shanahan:

      Turnbull’s public putdown added to a growing atmosphere of paranoia and resentment in Coalition ranks.

      60

      • #
        TdeF

        Malcolm’s only fear is Tony Abbott and short of a silver bullet, he is limited to sniping. Malcolm was openly plotting against Tony since 2009 when he lost the leadership by one vote and Tony immediately destroyed his ETS scheme. It was always about Malcolm’s ETS. It still is.

        The only surprise was the Julie Bishop was a closet leftie who wanted to please the UN. Like Helen Clarke, Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, all want a first class life after domestic politics. This requires a carbon tax or ETS or generous donations to the UN. Malcolm too wants his international luxury travel and accomodation paid by the UN and to be recognized on the prestigious world stage. It is not about what is best for Australia. With Tony, it is all about what is good for Australia and Australians and he does not suffer from the outrageous ego of the rest. In any other country he would be a hero and internationally people are very surprised that Malcolm grabbed his job without an election.

        60

      • #
        Retired now

        Can anyone point me to indications as to which coalition MPs are in the Turnbull ranks and who are agin?

        40

  • #
    Mick In The Hills

    As I mentioned at WUWT, this survey confirms the UN’s 8.5million person global survey that rated agw last of 16 life issues.

    150

  • #
    Leon Danby

    These sort of posts remind me of how much credence we give to the 97% consensus meme. Science is what should drive the debate, not popularity polls.

    72

  • #
    Bulldust

    The fact that people put terrorism at the top detracts from the results IMO. While the events can be horrific the actual death toll from terrorism is relatively miniscule. Westerners being scared of death by terrorism is like fearing shark attacks or lightning strikes. Nasty when they happen, but you have a better chance of a major lotto win. Terrorism has the added element of intent, of course, but still, the fatalities are small. The survey serves mostly to show that people are irrational … well, most people.

    e.g. domestic abuse kills far more than terrorism, right now … in Australia. And yet that engenders ennui in most. Therein lies the true tragedy of human irrationality.

    All this does not detract from the fact that “climate change” (sic) is near the correct place on the survey. In truth it shouldn’t rate at all so it shouldn’t even be on the list. Where are massive solar flares, meteor impacts, Methicillin-resistant staphylococci for example? There are things which could potentially wipe out large proportions of humanity (if not all). Climate change as we know it… not so much (barring another glaciation).

    121

    • #

      I would beg to differ. The effects of terrorism should not be calculated by body count, it’s the secondary effects that bring home the true cost of terrorism. Just consider the overall cost and impact on simple things such as travel. Consider the cost of monitoring and managing the threat. Consider how it has had an effect even on free speech (in Australia). The list goes on and on if you start to look at all that flows from the growing threat of terrorism.

      81

      • #
        Bulldust

        Differ away … someone has to be wrong :p

        The millions that die from preventable disease cost less than a bit of airport security. I get it… Yes, I am being facetious but you get my drift.

        This is without touching on the fact that the West has created the environment for terrorism to develop in many cases. I know that is an unpopular view in the West, but it is absolutely true. There seems to be an ideological blind spot (in the US in particular) that we can venture in and bomb the cr@p out of countries, saunter out a few years later and everything will be just peachy. I remember seeing an interview with an ex-Obama strategic international policy advisor several years ago saying that the seeds were being sown for terrorism in Syria/Iraq due to the power vacuum created by offing the Saddam regime. Staying put was politcally unpopular but moving out proved worse in the long run.

        There are no easy solutions… especially now that the instability has been exacerbated. All we have left now are bad decisions and worse decisions, much like the debt crises around the world.

        Despite all that, I am an optimist in the long run, but one can’t ignore the problems we face right now. Terrorism like Swine Flu makes a huge media splash and provides plenty of political leverage, but the direct impact is miniscule (albeit horrifying). I am reminded of what Hans Rosling said in 2009:

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8bUtbODV-Q

        Besides, the true horor is due to play out in Paris next week… want to talk about billions and trillions of dollars wasted? Lets talk CAGW!

        PS> Interesting side story – I had a colleague (caucasian Aussie, if that matters) about 10 years ago that liked travelling to less visited destinations. He spent a week or two in Syria with his son. On returning he said the Syrians were the most hospitable people he had ever met. They kept wanting to drag them into their family homes and feed them.

        40

        • #

          The millions that die from preventable disease cost less than a bit of airport security. I get it… Yes, I am being facetious but you get my drift.

          Unfortunately, you miss the point.

          20

          • #
            Bulldust

            Sorry … yes, in the world where vague generalisations are a point, you made a point. In the real world where terrorism is a relatively low cost to society, as opposed to the things politicians may do “in the name of fighting terrorism” etc … two entirely different concepts.

            If Oz decided to put boots and machinery on the ground over there to “combat terrorism” then that is not a cost of terrorism. That is a cost of being a US political lapdog. Different concept. Equally if freedom of speech gets impaired through politicians, the fault lies with the populace for being easily led. Again this is not a cost of terrorism. It is a cost of being gullible/complacent/whatever, much like climate change alarmism.

            People control their own lives, and by extension, their own governments, unless they decide to let the politicians have unfettered control. It is an “agency problem“, a subject discussed extensively in finance and economics.

            50

            • #

              You’re attempting to diminish the significance of an issue by comparing it to something unrelated, based solely on your values system. You also overlook the real and potentially unintended consequences of ignoring or giving minimal credence to terrorist activities. And, finally, you attempt to simplify issues when these issues are anything but simple.

              30

              • #
                Bulldust

                I am not attempting to diminish the threat of terrorism… it is diminished by the very fact that it _is_ minimal in terms of casualty rates and cost to society compared to many, many other ills. Your reluctance to acknowledge this point is odd. As for simplifying issues, look to your own posts. At least I mount a reasoned argument rather than vague handwaving indicating things are more complicated than that… well duh … world geopolitics and terrorism is going to take a bit more analysis than a simple blog post. IMO I made a couple relevant points to add perspective. That is all.

                30

              • #

                I don’t look at the death count as a reason to dismiss a major threat. Not one person can so far be claimed to have died due to global warming, yet the alarmists keep pointing to the possibility of deaths. The global warming threat is intangible; whereas, the terrorism threat is quite tangible. All the other ills of the world are quite tangible, but they don’t come to your local police station to kill people.

                Certainly I would rather expend the money that’s gone into the global warming scam on raising the third world out of poverty and thus every other ailment that afflicts them, but that’s another issue. And how many decades of equally sordid scams related to charities have been ongoing, with no observable improvement to those in need? Why is it that the Greens and Leftist want to keep the Third World population in stasis?

                The current confrontation between Russia and Turkey, and activities directed at Syria, is another example of what the terrorism threat is creating. The entire purpose of IS is to destabilise, the longer they are ignored, the more they expand.

                40

  • #
    Winston

    Cook et al have just released a peer reviewed paper, and this translates to a 970% consensus.

    92

  • #
    Timboss

    Says a lot about Fox News listeners.

    614

  • #
    Mike Spilligan

    Dear, oh dear. US Citizens just aren’t thinking what their President has demanded they think.

    170

  • #
    Bite Back

    Only 3% of US people think climate is most important issue

    So 97% means something after all. And it’s good news.

    BB

    101

  • #
    Dave in the states

    The people’s ambivalence also has made it difficult to raise the alarm about what the politicians are doing without the people’s consent. So many just don’t know what is going on and what the stakes are.

    71

  • #
    Robert O

    Hypothetically would it be possible to refuse to pay a carbon tax on the basis that it will not achieve its “objects”, that is curtail global warming since there is no scientific basis for it, or are we legally obliged to follow what the lemmings decide in Paris?

    52

    • #
      Klem

      I’d like to see governments demonstrate the effectiveness of their carbon tax plans.

      How will we know if the tax is effective, how will we know when the climate has stopped changing?

      91

      • #
        Robert O

        That is the $ Trillion question: if one can construct hockey sticks, homogenise data and claim that lowering CO2 levels will reduce warming by 2 degrees when there is no correlation, I guess it’s an easy task to prove that it’s all working fine and real satellite data are in error.

        70

  • #
    Andrew McRae

    Brace yourselves, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-25/2015-set-to-be-hottest-on-record-wmo-says/6974530

    This year is set to be the hottest on record, due to a strong El Nino season and global warming, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) says.

    The WMO usually waits to have a full year’s worth of data before drawing conclusions but said it wanted to give negotiators the most up to date information before discussions begin at the UN’s Paris Climate Summit next week.

    Still no sign of this occurring in RSS or UAHv6β.

    122

    • #
      Bulldust

      I love some of the scary stories the “scientists” were quoting. Apparently the entire 0.2C temperature difference between this year and 1998 were due to increased CO2. Science.is.settled…

      Does anyone remember when the ABC actually did proper journalism?

      40

      • #
        Andrew McRae

        It doesn’t quite fit their theory. 0.3 × 5.35×ln(401÷366) = +0.146 degrees
        But that’s assuming the Earth climate sensitivity 0.3 is true and ignores the delay in reaching equilibrium and ignores the possibility of Evansian rerouting.
        Just from the delay between transient response and equilibrium response, only half the 0.2° difference could be due to CO2 even in their zombie theory.

        10

      • #
        AndyG55

        BD, in GISS, any warming is purely down to data fabrication and manipulation.

        The data malfeasance (and that other “Fr” word) since Gavin took over is absolutely off the chart.

        10

    • #
      AndyG55

      Combined UAH, RSS global on a “year to end of October” basis.

      1998 — 0.582
      2010 — 0.439
      2015 — 0.285

      It is going to take massive heat anomalies in November and Dec for 2015 to be the warmest in the short term record. ( Short term meaning anything less than 200 years.)

      And going back further, the MWP, RWP and most of the first 3/4 of the Holocene were all warmer than the Modern Slightly Warm Period. (MSWP).

      This “hottest year ever” nonsense has to be put into perspective, otherwise it is just propaganda pap.

      10

    • #
      clive

      Someone should tell these”Numpties”that it is”Snowing”in Tassie,as we speak.12 degrees isn’t my idea of”Hot”

      00

  • #
    ScotsmaninUtah

    Jo I think CNN’s John Sutter would disagree with you and he is backing up this with his new article on how beef is helping cause Global warming.
    There are already 2400+ comments showing just what a hot topic this is…

    well in truth there are not actually that many new comments … and 7 is probably the correct number … but he did get 70+ comments in his last AGW article …

    and in support of Jon’s article …
    CNN are recommending we block out the Sun to help in the fight against AGW

    I am of course skeptical of this proposal from CNN as perhaps their journalists are confusing sunblock( the cream) with an asteroid (to phyically block the Sun).

    Unfortunately CNN articles on AGW are often confusing…

    80

  • #
    ScotsmaninUtah

    Climate Engineering ?

    Quote from CNN article on “Blocking Sun”
    “Could we directly engineer the climate and refreeze the poles? The answer is probably yes, and it could be a cheap thing to achieve — maybe costing only a few billion dollars a year”

    IMO
    we should be concerned about this , or at least concerned about the people who want to attempt this 😮

    or someone needs to talk to their parents

    120

  • #
    Jeff (FL)

    I noticed the margin of error in that survey was +/- 3%.

    So it’s possible that 6% of US people put climate change above the federal deficit as a concern.

    That’s the upper bound of course. It is equally possible, at the lower bound, that 0% of US people consider climate change as any issue at all. 🙂

    30

  • #
    Popeye26

    Jo – you said:

    “Obama must know what these polls say, so when he tells us that “climate change is the greatest threat” we know he’s not doing it to win votes. If he is hoping to “lead” the people, his failure is dismal.”

    Let me correct that – Obama must know what these polls say, so when he tells us that “climate change is the greatest threat” we know he’s not doing it to win votes. If he is hoping to “lead” the people, his failure is dismal SPECTACULAR.

    Cheers,

    80

    • #

      The biggest threat man has from climate change is thinking that climate change is caused by man and this probably is the biggest threat we face.

      100

      • #
        King Geo

        Spot on Co2isnoevil.

        When the GL/LIA rears its ugly head in the near future the majority of folk will realize that “the biggest threat man has from climate change is thinking that climate change is caused by man” is 100% wrong. Will all these folk be happy little vegemites when they are told how many US$trillions had been squandered trying to change Earth’s Climate for zero benefit?

        50

    • #
      Leonard Lane

      Popeye26. There is a difference between lead the people and cheat them by executive degree.
      Obama is not the only guilty party, just the principal one. There is also the silly boy Republicans who support his programs and the MSM who lie for him and keep a steady barrage of propaganda going. And concerning Obamacare, his pet boy toy on the Supreme Court Rogers single highhandedly brought that into law.

      50

  • #
    Ruairi

    The polls show a different take,
    To politicians worldwide on the make,
    Who claim climate mayhem,
    Can be fixed if we pay them,
    Which the public know well is a fake.

    210

  • #
    Egor TheOne

    Only 3% of USA residents consider CAGW priority one .

    Yet the way the Presstitutes report (flog) it ,you would think that 97% are True B’lvers !

    Similar to their 97.1% Consensus …….96.8% Propaganda .

    The Climate Change Prime Equation > ‘CAGW = BS’.

    But of course , with the USA being 17 Trill in the red , thanks to their Quantitative Easing (Counterfeiting) , their little people have to be taxed somehow to pay for their criminal central bankers’ ‘misdeeds'(robbery)!

    The point is , Great Big New Carbon Taxes and massive junk renewable projects cannot be inflicted if the ‘Prime Equation’ (CAGW=BS) is commonly realized .

    Under El Presidente O’Bummer’s reign of incompetence , their Deficit has doubled .
    Little wonder he has to come up with ‘Faith Based Taxes and Policy’ but 97% ain’t buying it.

    Even with the Grand build up to the CON21 Paris Pre-Enlightenment , El Presidente has been warned by Congress not to go on a Green Spree or they will block funding .

    It seems that the recent Terrorist events have inadvertently helped bring to light just how many CAGW freeloaders are already in Paris in anticipation of this upcoming CAGW Squanderthon .

    Why are we to even attend this Paris Grand Fiasco ?
    By all reasonable accounts , even if co2 doubled , Global Temp would alter little if at all as the last 19 years have shown , and yet this global flog and deception continues !

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o74iD4CITOk/U7ezikCMY0I/AAAAAAAAP6U/q2wfE6Y0sZ8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-07-05+at+6.11.05+pm.png

    81

  • #
    Greg Cavanagh

    Obama advertised himself as “Hope and Change”. Sadly, no media asked him what he hopped for, or what he wanted to change. One term I could understand, but not two. I have little sympathy for people who voted for him and got a lemon; TWICE.

    110

    • #
      Leonard Lane

      Greg. Romney knew in 2012 that 47% of the people (those on the welfare plantation, the radical leftists: Democrats (Cultural Marxists, radical leftist greenies, and other never do wells)and the illegal alien voters, would not support him.
      So those are the Americans and illegals you should blame.

      40

      • #
        Greg Cavanagh

        Yes I know. I remember soon after Obama won the second time, there were Ytube videos showing people who voted for him holding up their new I-phone they got for voting for him.

        People voted for a free I-phone, not the running of a nation.

        30

  • #
    Dennis

    Remember the children’s story about the little boy who cried Wolf?

    40

  • #
    Colin Henderson

    The 97% consensus is that climate is NOT the most important issue!

    60

  • #
    Ross

    O/T. This is an interesting piece of research. Maybe someone should run Cooke’s papers through their system

    http://wattsupwiththat.com/2015/11/25/study-demonstrates-a-pattern-in-how-scientists-lie-about-their-data/

    40

  • #
    PeterS

    Funny how polls can make a difference only when it suits them. Turnbull pushed aside Abbott mainly because of the polls but the polls suggest climate change is no longer a threat, yet the Western leaders still say it’s the biggest threat facing mankind of all time. Hypocrites the lot of them. There should be a law against it punishable with a 10-year prison sentence.

    90

    • #
      Dennis

      Yet the 2 PP polling indicates not much different results from when Tony Abbott was the PM.

      But Malcolm Turnbull is now well ahead of Mr 15% Bill Shorten. But does this reflect Turnbull’s large following from the Labor side of politics by people who would never vote for the Coalition? And brainwashed people who were told for several years via the media that Tony Abbott was a failure? Character assassination and generalised weaselling!

      50

      • #
        King Geo

        Dennis the Roy Morgan Polls showed that from January 2014 until Abbott was deposed on 14 September 2015 (a period of 20.5 months), the Coalition were always behind or occasionally level 2PP. The moment Turnbull becomes the PM, the coalition have always been ahead 2PP. It is the same old story – in politics it is always about winning – any collateral damage, too bad – there is no prize for running 2nd. Same in cricket – if the team keeps losing the captain gets replaced – cricket is one of the few games where the captain is important, ie he makes decisions on the ground that can impact significantly on the game’s result e.g. fielding changes, change of bowler etc.

        21

        • #
          Dennis

          KG it is worth noting that Tony Abbott led the Coalition to almost defeating Labor in 2010 and to defeating them by an historical landslide against them in 2013. And despite published polls that pointed towards the Coalition with Abbott as leader would not succeed.

          Union’s Labor & Greens (both receive substantial donations from the unions that receive substantial taxpayer funded donations/grants when Labor are in government federal and states) did everything they could dream up to throw at Opposition Leader Abbott. And we now know that MPs supposed to be on his side did too, briefing journalists, misrepresenting him and his Chief Of Staff and despite the spin and Labor’s substantial lead from the 2007 election great results in 2010 and 2013 followed.

          Polls are manipulated, any marketing person can explain how desired results can be gathered by skilful pollsters. And for elections using the previous results by electorate and by polling booth they can target voters who will most probably answer as required.

          There is much more, but for all intents and purposes the Abbott led Liberal Party candidate easily won the by election in the WA seat of Canning, Captain Hastie previously a member of the SAS is now the local member.

          30

    • #
      handjive

      “There should be a law against it …”

      There is, and “climate scientists” plus assorted “planet saving fellow travellers” are not answerable, apparently:

      Man fined for dud doomsday warning

      “Wang Chao-hung, better known as “Teacher Wang”, stirred up a media frenzy after he “predicted” a giant quake and tsunami would hit Taiwan on May 11, urging people to move into makeshift shelters converted from cargo containers.

      Mr Wang later claimed that his remarks were misinterpreted by journalists when the catastrophe failed to materialise, but he was convicted by a district court in Nantou, central Taiwan, of spreading socially disruptive rumours.”

      30

      • #
        Egor TheOne

        What would they do to Sage Flannery , our very own esteemed chief dud predictor and master of mispremonitions ?

        20

      • #
        PeterS

        Actually I have posted a few times before that global warming alarmists are nothing more than doomsayers that should be prosecuted under our current laws for causing unnecessary alarm to the public by taking the issue to the courts. All we need is a very rich group of people and smart lawyers. I actually still believe it would be a walk in the park compared to fighting most murder trials since true science is on our side. The “forensic” evidence is overwhelmingly on our side. It may not be an open and shut case due to the large amounts of money that would be funding the defense by governments and others, but in the end I feel it still would be clear cut in a court of law because they do take evidence very seriously, and BS is not tolerated. Of course the judge could be “bought” but that’s the risk one takes.

        20

    • #
      clive

      Here,Here.

      00

  • #
    pat

    25 Nov: Washington Examiner: John Siciliano: Democrats rise in opposition to Obama’s climate change agenda
    Hundreds of Democrats from 32 states are aligning against the centerpiece of President Obama’s climate change agenda, the Clean Power Plan, which they say will cause unnecessary economic harm from increased reliance on renewable energy…
    “As Democrats committed to a prosperous America and a healthy environment, we believe the United States has a unique opportunity to lead the world in addressing the global climate challenge, and yet do so, as we must, without unduly burdening the American economy or the American people,” the Democratic coalition called CoalBlue said in a letter sent Tuesday to Obama.
    The group joined with hundreds of Democratic officeholders and state, local and party officials in telling Obama that the Environmental Protection Agency’s emission rules for power plants pose “serious and overriding concerns,” representing the wrong approach to the problem of climate change…READ ON
    http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/dems-rise-against-wh-climate-change-plan/article/2577114

    20

  • #
    pat

    politicians getting the message?

    24 Nov: CarbonBrief: Simon Evans: Analysis: UK government quietly slashes renewable energy forecast
    The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has slashed its forecasts for new renewable power capacity by more than a third over the next decade, Carbon Brief analysis shows…
    http://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uk-government-quietly-slashes-renewable-energy-forecast?utm_content=bufferc9db4&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

    30

  • #
    pat

    BBC radio has been repeatedly playing an interview with MSM CAGW darling, Mark Lynas, on the “hottest year” story.
    Lynas says it proves the Pause was just an “internet meme”.
    says the “hottest year” story is a “political” message from the climate to COP21.
    BBC hasn’t documented it as yet.

    25 Nov: BBC: Matt McGrath: COP21: 2015 likely to be warmest on record, says UN weather body
    The researchers say the five year period from 2011 to 2015 was also the warmest on record.
    The rise, they state, was due to a combination of a strong El Nino and human-induced global warming.
    The WMO said their preliminary estimate, based on data from January to October, showed that the global average surface temperature for 2015 was 0.73 degrees C above the 1961-1990 average.
    Their scientists also found that global temperatures were approximately 1 degree C above the 1880-1899 period, mirroring a recent finding by the UK Met Office…
    “The state of the global climate in 2015 will make history for a number of reasons,” said WMO secretary-general Michel Jarraud.
    “2015 is likely to be the hottest year on record, with ocean surface temperatures at the highest level since measurements began. It is probable that the 1C threshold will be crossed…
    “The fingerprint of a warming planet is becoming clearer in nearly every corner of the world,” said Dr Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading…
    “In the UK, our variable weather means that 2015 will not set any records for warmth, but the longer view shows UK temperatures have risen about 20% faster than the global average. We can expect this faster rate to continue in future.”…
    The new findings are likely to feature prominently at COP21 in Paris next week…
    http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34915448

    20

  • #
    pat

    24 Nov: Reuters: Tommy Wilkes: India opposes deal to phase out fossil fuels by 2100 at climate summit
    India would reject a deal to combat climate change that includes a pledge for the world to wean itself off fossil fuels this century, a senior official said, underlying the difficulties countries face in agreeing how to slow global warming…
    To keep warming in check, some countries want the Paris agreement to include a commitment to decarbonize…
    “It’s problematic for us to make that commitment at this point in time. It’s certainly a stumbling block (to a deal),” Ajay Mathur, a senior member of India’s negotiating team for Paris, told Reuters in an interview this week.
    “The entire prosperity of the world has been built on cheap energy. And suddenly we are being forced into higher cost energy. That’s grossly unfair,” he said…
    http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/24/us-climatechange-summit-india-idUSKBN0TD1I220151124

    reminder:

    19 Nov: BusinessStandardIndia: Nitin Sethi: The developed world should practice what it preaches: Prakash Javadekar
    JAVADEKAR: Decarbonisation or carbon-neutral are new concepts. Bringing on new items on the agenda in Paris will ensure basically that Paris fails…
    http://wap.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/the-developed-world-should-practice-what-it-preaches-prakash-javadekar-115111901405_1.html

    30

  • #
    pat

    24 Nov: Financial Times: Ed Crooks: States warn US climate plan is illegal
    State officials in West Virginia and Texas are sending a letter to the governments of China, India and other countries, arguing that US President Barack Obama’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions is unlawful and likely to be struck down in court…
    The letter is addressed to John Kerry, the US secretary of state, but is also being circulated to ministers from large economies that will be key participants in the Paris talks.
    The attorneys-general argue that Mr Kerry has a duty to tell other countries that “the centrepiece of the president’s domestic [carbon dioxide emissions] reduction program is being challenged in court by a majority of states and will likely be struck down.”…READ ON
    http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/0468f502-92d1-11e5-94e6-c5413829caa5.html

    20

  • #
    TdeF

    “Terrorism was up from 11% to 24% thanks to Paris”.

    Really? Plus the rest. This year has been a huge number of Islamic attacks in every country, including multiple murders in far away Australia. Remember Boston April 2013? Machine gun slaughter of tourists on the beach in Libya? The gunman on the train in Belgium? Charlie Hebdo slaughter? Nigeria? Kenya? Mali? The list is endless and a lot like Pakistan, Phillipines, Western China hardly get any press because they are so routine.

    40

  • #
    pat

    FUNDS THAT MOSTLY COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER UTILISED:

    24 Nov: World Bank: World Bank Group unveils $16 Billion Africa Climate Business Plan to Tackle Urgent Climate Challenges
    The World Bank Group today unveiled a new plan that calls for $16 billion in funding to help African people and countries adapt to climate change and build up the continent’s resilience to climate shocks.
    Titled Accelerating Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development, the Africa Climate Business Plan will be presented at COP21, the global climate talks in Paris, on November 30. It lays out measures to boost the resilience of the continent’s assets – its people, land, water, and cities – as well as other moves including ***boosting renewable energy and strengthening early warning systems…
    Of the $16.1 billion that the ambitious plan proposes for fast-tracking climate adaptation, some $5.7 billion is expected from the International Development Association (IDA), the arm of the World Bank Group that supports the poorest countries. About $2.2 billion is expected from various climate finance instruments, $2.0 billion from others in the development community, $3.5 billion from the private sector, and $0.7 billion from domestic sources, with an additional $2.0 billion needed to deliver on the plan…
    http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/11/24/world-bank-group-unveils-16-billion-africa-climate-business-plan-to-tackle-urgent-climate-challenges

    165 PAGES! WOW. PLENTY OF DEVIL IN THE DETAIL, NO DOUBT:

    World Bank (FULL REPORT) Accelerating climate-resilient and low-carbon development : the Africa climate business plan (English)
    ***DOWNLOAD OFFICIAL PDF 165 PAGES
    http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/11/25481350/accelerating-climate-resilient-low-carbon-development-africa-climate-business-plan

    20

    • #

      I want to draw your attention to this with respect to irony.

      165 pages, and only 23 pages dealing with electrical power generation, Solar PV, Hydro and Geothermal.

      Perhaps this fine august body planning all this for Sub Saharan Africa need to speak with The Greens Party of Australia.

      This plan calls for 2GW of Solar PV by 2026/30, and 350MW of Geothermal power, also by 2026/30, 55 million individual solar installations (here, think rooftop installations).

      Now note specifically those totals

      Solar PV – 2GW. Geothermal – 350MW

      Greens Australia plan to have 40.3GW of Commercial scale Solar PV power plants in the same time here in Australia, and that’s 20 times more than for all of that part of Africa.

      Greens Australia plan to have 2,663MW of Geothermal in the same time here in Australia, and that’s 7.6 times more than this Africa plan.

      Someone’s pulling our leg here.

      This 2GW of Solar PV planned for Africa is for grid connected solar, so they need to build a grid anyway. 2GW of solar PV, you know the same power delivered by Bayswater in 54 days.

      Tony.

      50

      • #
        clive

        Tony from Oz,I asked this question the other day,on another blog and got”No Answer”If we phase out”Fossil Fuels”what are they going to use to “Mine and Transport”the iron ore that is needed to make these bird mincers and fryers?Crickets is what I heard.These”Lefties”don’t think things through,do they?

        00

  • #
    Rick Will

    USA is not the only place losing interest in climate change and warming propaganda.

    Business Spectator has shut down Climate Spectator:
    http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/11/24/climate/note-about-climate-spectator?utm_source=exact&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1695001&utm_campaign=cs_daily&modapt=
    I figure there were not enough paid subscribers to support the warmist, anti-coal editorials. The small number of comments that certain articles attracted were increasingly unfavourable about the content.

    80

  • #
    handjive

    One answer lies in an unexpected and powerful camp of skeptics: car dealers.

    A Car Dealers Won’t Sell: It’s Electric (NYT)

    The former chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, Forrest McConnell, cited a survey finding that 14 percent of buyers cited fuel efficiency as the most important factor in buying a car.

    “That was a nice way of saying 86 percent of them didn’t think so,” he said.

    51

    • #
      Willard

      Answer for what Handjive? Did you actually read the whole story?

      21

    • #

      Government subsidies of $10,000 or more per car.

      And the Australian Greens want every car in Australia to be electric by 2030.

      Hmm! I wonder who disposes of all those existing cars.

      New car dealerships, used car dealerships, petrol stations, the list goes on.

      Talk about a Green fantasy.

      I kept looking for Robert Heinlein’s signature at the bottom of that Greens document.

      Tony.

      70

      • #
        Willard

        Politicians and the Green Party in particular need to stay the h.ll away from electric cars, they don’t have a clue about EVs and associated infrastructure and only use it as a photo opportunity, there’s no possible way and no possible reason to make every form of road transport electric, but a steady uptake in the passenger car market will benefit some car buyers, absolute no need for any tax incentive for EVs, the best incentive the politicians can give is stay away and let market forces take their natural course.

        30

      • #
        Dennis

        And where would the grid electricity supplies come from to charge those EVs?

        40

        • #
          Willard

          Hi Dennis- Coal, hydro, gas turbine and whatever else feeds in to the grid.

          30

        • #
          Willard

          Where have I mentioned charging Electric vehicles with windmills Dennis? What’s wrong with the power grid we have?

          11

          • #
            Dennis

            Ask South Australians Willard, and then consider the so called renewable energy target and that wind turbines and solar cannot provide our present needs let alone supply electric transport vehicles.

            20

            • #
              AndyG55

              Guys.. you both seem to be arguing the same side of the argument.

              Electric cars need electricity.

              That has to come from somewhere, and that energy will need to be solid and reliable.. ie coal gas nuclear or hydro.

              Wind and solar are niche, unpractical and unreliable energy supply systems.

              Liquid fuels have proven themselves to be the very best, and probably the only option for long distance road travel.

              20

            • #
              Willard

              I think there’s a misconception that because an electric car has a 100/150/200kw motor it must be consuming massive amounts of electricity but in reality over a set distance the energy consumption is far better than people realize , now if the grid in a particular region can’t cope with EVs being added to the mix It’s a pretty good bet that it’s not coping with all the full house air cons, heated outdoor spas, pool pumps ( especially those with no pool covers ) and the 400 litre fridge on the back patio that only contains one six pack. Of course the electricity buying public have a right to waste their money how they see fit but if they complain about their next massive electricity bill it’s far more than just the EV parked in the carport.

              01

  • #
    handjive

    Uh-Oh.

    Either Obama or Gaia is playing tricks on the 97% true believers …

    WEATHER DEVICE FALLS FROM SKY, PROMPTS BOMB SQUAD RESPONSE

    > Terror threat remains at 97% Doomsday Global Warming!

    31

  • #
    handjive

    TURNBULL INTRODUCES NEW 5-TIER TERROR ALERT SYSTEM, CURRENT THREAT ‘LIKELY’
    . . .
    Where does our brave, weather fighting PM place 97% Doomsday Global Warming on the “alert” system?

    PS. PM Talkbull says, ” Be alert. The world needs more lerts.

    60

    • #
      TdeF

      Alert but not afraid, ready but not anxious, agile but not quick off the mark, determined to act but not without hastily or without committee meetings. Our weather fighting anti Royalty pro trading scheme PM is going to do great things, just not right now. He is off to Paris.

      60

      • #
        Dennis

        Is he using the solar powered aircraft? This will be his second flight to the northern hemisphere since sliding into the PM position only a few weeks ago.

        40

  • #
    TdeF

    For those with short memories, our current PM was head of Goldman Sachs, who were in 2011 blamed for the GFC even on the ABC.

    .. in Washington where a damning report on the US housing crash has just been released, and it points the finger squarely at the global investment bank Goldman Sachs, accusing the banking giant of misleading markets and manipulating clients in the lead-up to the meltdown.

    A powerful US Senate committee says Goldman Sachs made huge profits as the US mortgage market began to crash in 2007. The committee has also condemned a culture of greed, conflicts of interest and weak regulation throughout the financial system.

    Now the former head of Goldman Sachs is our unelected Prime Minister. Conflict of interest with an ETS anyone? ( .. joined Goldman Sachs & Co in 1997 as Chairman of its Australian business, becoming a partner of the global firm in 1998) How can he be trusted in Paris?

    90

    • #
      TdeF

      Of course in those days, Malcolm was not yet BFF with the ABC.

      60

    • #
      Egor TheOne

      How can he be trusted ?

      How can any True B’lver be trusted , especially one from Goldman & Sachs (of **it) , one of the ‘Too Big To Fails ‘ that helped deliver the Global financial Crisis ?

      As Lord Monckton warned in Feb 2015 , Harper was to go and Abbott has suspiciously been ousted by Mr Goldman conveniently just in time for the CON21 Paris Pre-Enlightenment CAGW True B’lvers Hajj !

      I don’t believe in convenient coincidences !

      Behind the left’s push to remove Tony Abbott
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG0WcjGHkEw&sns=em

      41

      • #
        Dennis

        Lord Monckton has also predicted that Tony Abbott will be returned as leader.

        Would that be something like Neville Chamberlain being replaced by Winston Churchill in Britains darkest hours of war?

        60

        • #
          Matty

          I missed that, but it had occurred to me already, the country is likely to turn to Abbott again when they’re really in the $4!t.

          00

  • #
    Sunray

    Thank you Jo, for another sanity hit.

    50

  • #

    […] Only 3% of US people think climate is most important issue « JoNova […]

    10

  • #
    toorightmate

    With the quality of president they have voted in for the past 7 years, I also came to the conclusion that “Only 3% of US people think”.

    50

  • #
    Phillip Bratby

    The biggest issue in the UK ought to be the impending “lights-out”. But the issue won’t move up the agenda until it happens and the sheeple can’t watch the usual rubbish on the BBC.

    60

  • #
    d

    Did anyone else hear the BOM spokesman on ABC today say that the underlying temperature tend was 1 degree since the industrial revolution? So it’s not catastrophic?

    41

  • #
    Graham Richards

    If Turnbull continues to follow the “[snip*] Chief” in the Whitehouse he may just continue to follow him out of office as well.
    The Nationals are our best option to maintain sanity in Australia. Without the Nationals there is no coalition. Always remember that!!

    We are relying on you Barnaby. By the way I’ve not heard your usual welcome bark for a while. I guess you’re happy the Waffler is under control!!

    [*Snip – we just don’t need to set off that subthread here. Thanks, – Jo]

    20