Record 50% of US Nationals Regard Global Warming as Real, Major Threat - Poll

The percentage of the US population seriously concerned by climate change has increased to 50 percent, an Environment poll by the Gallup organization showed on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – According to the poll, all of those ranked as Concerned Believers worry a great deal about global warming and think human activity causes global warming, while 66 percent believe global warming is likely to pose a serious threat in their lifetime.

The poll, conducted March 1-5, with a sample of 1,018 adults, found that 19 percent of respondents were Cool Skeptics, all of whom believe reports of global warming are exaggerated, and that global warming does not pose a serious threat, and is not caused by human activity.

Of the 31 percent identified as the Mixed Middle, views are split, with 49 percent convinced that global warming news are exaggerated, and 52 percent seeing it as a cause for worry.

In terms of political views, 47 percent of Concerned Believers are Democrats and 61 percent of Cool Skeptics identify as Republicans.

During his election campaign, US President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized warnings about global warming, saying it was a "hoax," and speculated about ending US participation in the Paris climate deal on carbon emissions. Trump's nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt, has also faced criticism over his rejection of the science behind global warming.

At his confirmation hearing in January, Pruitt said that climate change was real, but the degree of the change needed to be further examined.

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