Antinuclear

It turns out that 50,000 Australians are not wrong about climate chnage

A disproportionate amount of media airtime given to climate sceptics may lead some people to overestimate the prevalence of that view

powerful interests promoted the voices of climate sceptics.

Climate change deniers are rarer than we think http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/climate-change-deniers-are-rarer-than-we-think-46206 By Sunanda Creagh   13 November 2012 The Conversation Australians grossly overestimate the proportion of people who deny that climate change is happening, a CSIRO study has found.

The study, published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, surveyed over 5000 Australians over two years.

In response to the question, ‘Which of the following statements best
describes your thoughts on climate change?’ people chose from: ‘I
don’t think that climate change ‘is happening’; ‘I have no idea
whether climate change is happening or not’; ‘I think that climate
change is happening, but it’s just a natural fluctuation in Earth’s
temperatures’; ‘I think that climate change is happening, and I think
that humans are largely causing it’.

Respondents were also asked to estimate the proportion of people who
would select each answer.

In 2010, respondents estimated that 21.6% of Australians believed
climate change was not happening, when in fact only 5.6% of
respondents said it was not happening.

In 2011, respondents estimated that 23% of Australians believed
climate change was not happening, when the actual proportion who think
it was not happening was 7.2%.

The report also found that whatever your opinion on climate change,
most people estimate their own view to be the most common. “The cues
and messages we pick up in our external environment can influence our
opinions. No one likes to think they are alone in their opinion,” said
lead researcher Zoe Leviston, a social scientist at the CSIRO.

A disproportionate amount of media airtime given to climate sceptics
may lead some people to overestimate the prevalence of that view, she
said.

“That journalistic tradition of giving equal eight to both sides of
the story is a noble sentiment but it can lead to these consensus
effects,” she said.

Will J Grant from the Australian National Centre for the Public
Awareness of Science at the Australian National University said
powerful interests promoted the voices of climate sceptics.

“Empty vessels make the most noise. It’s in economic interests of
certain actions to promote these empty vessels,” said Dr Grant, who
was not involved in the study.

November 15, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL, climate change - global warming