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Support for climate-control policies drops in California
July 29th, 2009, 10:00 pm · 14 Comments · posted by Pat Brennan, science, environment editor
California residents’ support for state policies meant to curb global warming is dropping, although they’re still favored by strong majorities, according to a new survey by the Public Policy Institute of California. 
The non-profit, non-partisan group found that 66 percent of Californians favor a 2006 state law designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — a 7 point drop since July 2008 and a 12 point drop since 2007.
The steepest decline was among Republicans, down to 43 percent from 57 percent in 2008.
“We’re seeing strong support but less support for government actions related to climate change,” said Mark Baldassare, president of the institute. “And based on some of the responses in the survey, it appears that the budget and economic events are one of the factors.”
Dire economic times could be prompting Californians to believe action on climate change should be postponed until the economy improves, he said.
Partisan fights in Congress over climate change also might be helping fuel partisan divisions in California, he said.
The growing partisan gap was visible in other survey findings:
-Californians as a whole are slightly less likely to believe the effects of climate change are already occurring — 61 percent today, 64 percent last year — but 76 percent of Democrats agree with that statement compared to 36 percent of Republicans. For independents, the number was 61 percent.
-A growing number of Republicans, 34 percent, say global warming will never happen, an increase of 10 percent over last year.
–A solid 76 percent majority of Californians across party lines believe the government should regulate greenhouse gas emissions, such as those from cars, power plants and factories. But the figure is far higher for Democrats, at 86 percent, and independents, at 79 percent, than it is for Republicans, at 54 percent.
–A proposed cap-and-trade system to control emissions, in which businesses could buy and sell air-pollution credits with the aim of bringing down emission levels overall, revealed an even deeper split. While 49 percent of Californians overall favor such as system, and 40 percent oppose it, that works out to 57 percent of Democrats in favor and 55 percent of Republicans against.
–Similar division could be seen on the issue of taxing businesses for carbon emissions. Although 57 percent support it and 35 percent oppose it overall, 73 percent of Democrats are in the support column while 60 percent of Republicans oppose the idea.
The telephone survey of 2,501 Californians was conducted from July 7-21, in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Korean, and has a sampling error of plus or minus two percent.
(Register photo of Orange County traffic by Bruce Chambers.)
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Californian’s are fools. There is no global warming.
http://www.icecap.us
Of coarse because theirs unlimited everything, blue sky, oil, fish in the ocean, trees for paper, holes to put our planned obsolescence crap in, Will never run out! Well, if we do it will be like fifty years from now and by then with our economic model of “innovation” will get us another planet to use up. So who cares right?
Long live big business! I will support their imperialistic word domination based on profit for the top one percent of wage earners until the day I die.
I thank you,
Brett Thomas
Support will drop even further after people take their old model cars for smog certification. I had to spend $800 out-of-pocket with $400 cash allowance from state to get my 1999 Mazda Protege’ smog certified because after market catalytic converters are now banned in California. Poor people in California can not afford global warming hysteria. It is only for the rich.
SDLAD,
So you had to buy a cat from the dealer?
That sux!
I think my mom’s 93 Caddy needs one, so I’m looking.
finaly.about time
Never supported “green” movement.
Of course the steepest decline will be with Republicans. Although I differ in ideological views with the Republican party, I do agree we need to impasse until our state economics rises from the bottom floor. I do not however believe that such plan should be long term; an argument that the Right will encourage. Gas prices are way to high for many unemployed. Travel is essential in seeking employment. One can not do so as long as these prices continue fluctuating as they have. With state taxes as high as they are, and theres no promise they will decline, yes the state needs to back off and give us a break some wheres.
AGW is a fraud. Warming (and cooling) are natural events. Those with a political agenda and a desire to scare the herd into rash and thoughtless actions have cooked up this whole scare for their own ends.
There is no evidence of human impact on the climate at all. Correlation is not causation. CO2 in the atmosphere trails temperature change, not the other way around, computer models give the answers they are paid to find, and so on. There is no scientific evidence to support the claims of the demagogues. There is evidence that the Sun (imagine that) is responsible for temperature fluctuations. But that answer is not palatable to the tax, regulate, and we-know-how-to-run-your-life-for-you crowd.
The problem with this is that if California makes restrictions but other states do not the companies that are getting hit be those restrictions will leave. The more restrictions California forces on businesses the less jobs there will be for Californians.
It is great to dreams about a pollution free California, but who will be able to live here when all the companies go elsewhere?
I support living cleanly, but let ME do it on MY own when I can afford it.
I’m sure others like me when given sensible options will take them when they can afford it. But we will reject them if the state or federal government makes us afford it.
SDLAD says: July 29, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Support will drop even further after people take their old model cars for smog certification. I had to spend $800 out-of-pocket with $400 cash allowance from state to get my 1999 Mazda Protege’ smog certified because after market catalytic converters are now banned in California. Poor people in California can not afford global warming hysteria. It is only for the rich.
.
Thats why I drive a 1974 Datsun!
By the end of the day, all this climate change/ warming/ cooling scare means is more costs and controls on joe citizen by fat cat politicians that zoom around the planet in expensive limos and private jets.
If CO2 is such a threat why are we stalling on nuclear development?
Support for climate-control policies drops in California
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Maybe the public has realized that human induced climate change is a fraud.
Sad really that so many of you talk about things you really don’t know. There IS evidence that human activity has caused spikes in atmospheric chemicals that are detrimental to human health and that are likely contributors to artificial climate increases. But the details are sometimes confusing and since the conclusions are therefore not ‘black-and-white’ disbelievers focus on the gaps because it is more politically and ethically expedient. All I know is that regardless of global warming, I grew up in LA and I remember having smog-cough constantly as a kid when the air was thick with haze. Often we couldn’t play sports in the afternoon. Luckily we enacted laws to regulate pollutants and now my kids have never had smog-cough or been restricted from playing sports due to poor air quality. So y’all can shut up about what you don’t know.