By Juliet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writer
The percentage of Americans who believe global warming is happening has dipped from 80 to 72 percent in the past year according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll even as a majority still support a national cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Since its peak 3 1/2 years ago belief that climate change is happening is down sharply among Republicans -- 76 to 54 percent -- and independents -- 86 to 71 percent. The polls findings -- which also show that 55 percent of respondents think the United States should curb its carbon output even if major developing nations such as China and India do less -- suggest increasing political polarization around the issue just as the Obama administration and congressional Democrats are intensifying efforts to pass climate legislation and broker an international global warming pact.
The increase in climate skepticism is driven largely by a shift within the GOP.
It dipped more modestly among Democrats from 92 to 86 percent. A majority of respondents still support legislation to cap emissions and trade pollution allowances by 53 to 42 percent.
Amanda Feinberg a retired administrative assistant living in South Williamsport Pa. said she became disenchanted with the idea of human-caused global warming when former vice president Al Gore launched a public awareness campaign with his documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
He just seemed a little radical in his views said Feinberg a Republican. I dont deny its happening I just think its just an evolution of nature.
Lisa Woolcott another Republican poll respondent said she doesnt think that burning fossil fuels is causing all the global warming adding: We cant control what
happens in the atmosphere.
But Woolcott a physicians assistant who lives in Kansas City Kan. said she supports the idea of a bill that would cap the nations greenhouse gas emissions and doesnt think the United States should predicate its actions on what other nations do.
We need to do whats best for us she said. I dont think we should back down.
Even proponents of action on climate change such as Democratic pollster Mark Mellman who has conducted polls on the issue for the American Security Project and the Pew Charitable Trusts say they have detected a recent fraying of bipartisanship.
Its a sad state of affairs when science becomes subject to partisan politics Mellman said. It can only be attributed to the sense that this issue has become part of a political battle.
This schism poses a challenge for Democratic leaders who are pushing for more stringent controls on greenhouse gases nationwide and as part of an international agreement that will be discussed when negotiators meet in Copenhagen next month. Both Mellman and Carl Pope executive director of the Sierra Club noted that most Americans still support taking action on climate change.
Still even respondents such as Woolcott who favored a cap-and-trade bill questioned whether Americans would support a policy that could raise energy prices in the short term given the current state of the economy.
Honestly I dont think the publics going to back it she said. Right now its all they can do to pay their electric bill and put gas in their cars. Youre asking me right now and its like lets get through Thanksgiving and Christmas.
David Winston who has polled for the House and Senate GOP leadership on the issue said it is less a question of whether Americans think they have contributed to climate change.
Where theres disagreement is how immediate and huge is the threat he said. As a result the majority of people view it as an economic issue.
Polling director Jon Cohen and polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta contributed to this report.
