COPENHAGEN: Americans May Be Among First Climate Refugees

According to the results of a recently released poll by Harris Interactive, the number of Americans who believe that global climate change is occurring has declined to only 51 percent, and is dropping fast.

This new result is a steep decline from the 71 percent of Americans who indicated they believed in global warming, in 2007.

The survey, titled “Big Drop in Those Who Believe that Global Warming is Coming” (PDF) found that about 29 percent of Americans don’t believe in global warming, while 21 percent are unsure. Sadly, these percentiles mirror the staunch political partisianship on this issue, with 73 percent of Democrats believing in global warming, compared to just 28 percent of Republicans.

While the fact that people who clearly indicated that they believed in global warming at one point have found a reason to change their tune is an issue worth pondering all on its own, the visible effects of climate change continue to grow; oblivious to the debate.

A recent article in Reuters, those individuals living in the U.S. heartland are some of the most staunch climate change deniers, “fueling conservative opposition to a climate change bill that is a priority for President Barack Obama and making some Democrats vulnerable in the November 2010 congressional elections.”

Maybe the skepticism is strongest in the central states because they have yet to experience the drastic effects of miniscule increases in temperature can cause.

Perhaps a visit to Americans living on the edge of the continent would open their eyes.

As the leaders of the world prepare to gather in Copenhagen to address the need for international cooperation in order to slow climate change, one Alaskan village is slowly melting away, leaving its inhabitants homeless and without a way to continue their centuries-old culture.

CNN recently reported that the Inupiat Eskimo village of Shishmaref, Alaska is experiencing coastal erosion at an accelerated rate, due to melting permafrost caused by climate change, and as a result, one home has already toppled into the sea, and over a dozen more have been moved inland.

“Rising global temperatures have started to thaw the permafrost that once helped anchor this village in place.” Typically, “sea ice that protects Shishmaref’s coast from erosion melts earlier in the spring and forms later in the fall. As a result of the temperature increases, “the increasingly mushy and exposed soil along Shishmaref’s shore is falling into the water in snowmobile-sized chunks.”

It’s important to note that this is not an isolated incident. CNN reported that “a dozen Alaskan villages, including Shishmaref, are at some stage of moving because of climate-change-related impacts like coastal erosion and flooding.”

While the rest of the world watches with differing levels of apathy and denial as politicians debate about whether climate change is a reality, the chunks of once stable permafrost continue to melt and fall away in Alaska, and the centuries-old Eskimo culture, their unique language and the viability of their entire village waits to slip into oblivion.

These American citizens will likely be some of the world’s first climate refugees, a threat that tops the list of concerns for Copenhagen attendees, and an issue that no amount of polling can allow us to continue to ignore.

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Image Credit: www.aaas.org

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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John S.

1:53PM PDT on May 28, 2011

Thanks, heard this before. Makes sense since we have so much coast line. Good reason to buy flood insurance.

send a green star

Danny W.

12:36PM PDT on May 13, 2011

Wow, Exxon did a great job with climate denial, they should take in refugees and pay for it out of their big fat bonuses!

Hope S.

4:36PM PDT on May 9, 2011

Barry T. You are right, we are being lied to by he deniers of climate change You say you want the truth, yet you will not accept scientific fact.

And by the way, you are a troll who hasn't done anything since you joined.

Lynn C.

5:20PM PST on Jan 23, 2011

It's so sad to me that people put their trust and belief in those who use and manipulate the emotional responses for their own gain. Just watched Nicole Foss talking about denial being one of the emotional reactions and this seems to be what's happening.

Marilyn J L.

7:55AM PST on Jan 23, 2011

No reputable scientist questions global warming. Since the US is the major contributor to this situation, yes, we should be prepared to accept the coming of thousands (if not millions) of climate refugees.

Sue C.

1:12PM PST on Dec 19, 2009

Its easy to understand why people may be doubting global warming since the press and governments over react on things. Maybe global warming might be like Swine Flu. Although getting everyone to clean up their act by recycling more and caring about the planet has to be a good thing.

Moertl M.

8:32AM PST on Dec 14, 2009

I do agree with one of the correspondant in so far as we should reduce or even stop procreating if we don't want to have wars to regulate this future overpopulation problem.

Jo H.

10:44AM PST on Dec 10, 2009

Barry T and anyone else who doubts that climate change has anything to do with mankind. Wake up. THere is no debate. Same can be said about evolution. the only ones who debate it are those who are uninformed. Your belief does not impact the overwhelming data one way or the other. Scientific evidence exists despite what you want it to say.
Here's the deal short and sweet. The earth, the atmosphere are a closed system. It was a delecate balance. A large system no doubt, but a closed system. You can only add so many ingredients and expect not to see a change. Mankind has had the greatest impact over the shortest time of any other source. Are there other factors working on this? of course there are. but pCO2 is one of the few things we can potentially control. That and how much we develop open lands, use surface water (contaminate it too), use the resources...are you getting it? Humans are the only species that have ever impacted the balance because humans are the only species that have created dramatic change in and on the earth, both land and sea. It stands to reason, therefore, that humans are the only ones that have a choice to make: whether or not to live responsibly from this point forward. Make responsible choices. Research the practices of the companies you buy from. Buy used items rather than new. consider the footprint of the products you buy. Realize the difference between a want and a need. Don't be so materialistic, consumer oriented. Personal Responsibility!

Jheezus C.

3:06PM PST on Dec 9, 2009

For what we have done to the Earth and the other species on it, humanity does not deserve to exist. The self absorbed masses will all die at the hands of the powerful forces of Earth, and those that are left will be better for it. Humans, all of us, are only interested in our own survival, for it is the self preservation mechanism that motivates us at all times. If this weren't the case, those that were truly worried about the Earth and the survival of humanity would be killing polluters and climate change deniers with reckless disregard for their own life. Climate change is real, and humanity will have to deal with the effects sooner or later. We are just too stupid and self centered to accomplish the massive changes needed to save humanity. A good start would be free voluntary sterilization. Now is YOUR time to act.

Jonathan Y.

8:58AM PST on Dec 9, 2009

Here's a simple truth everyone can check, you don't have to be a scientist: the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets are shrinking visibly each year, and so are glaciers on all the major mountains of the world from the Rockies to the Alps to the Himalayas.

It's like Senator McCain says - whether it's more of a human or natural factor doesn't really matter for our environment and public policy, it is prudent to take some cautious preparations and mitigation. Our government has been planning in a bipartisan way for triage and response since the 90s. DARPA and the Pentagon certainly seem to take it seriously; so do NASA, the Rand Corp. and other bipartisan groups.

Warming-skeptics, you obviously haven't been to the Rockies or the American West lately - we've had the biggest droughts and wildfires since the dust bowl - or if you live overseas, check out the Alps or the Southern Mediterranean. It doesn't take a Phd to see what's happening - why do you think Europe's getting so many refugees from Africa, and we from Mexico? Because people are dying there of poverty and drought.

The recent flap over emails is a good thing - science should be transparent. What a change from the last administration, where scientists were routinely ordered to fudge the data - staff at NASA and NOAA have documented that.

The recent cold weather is due to the effect of El Nino/La Nina which we know is a temporary cooling - with more meltwater at sea, high latitudes will cool at first.