A Record 64% of Americans See Global Warming as a Threat

According to a new poll, a record number of Americans take global warming seriously, believing it will have a profound effect on them within their lifetime.

Polling firm Gallup has conducted annually surveys on the hotly-debated topic since 1997, and the results of the most recent poll show that opinions have significantly changed in that time.

Over 1,000 adults in all 50 US states participated in the March 2016 poll, and 64% of respondents said they were concerned about global warming a "great deal" or a "fair amount," a record level of concern since 2008.

Only 36% of Americans said they didn't feel bothered by global warming or only worried a little, with 41% fearing that warming will affect them during their lifetime.

A prominent climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University, Michael Mann, said that the increase of "overall warmth" being witnessed worldwide in recent years and an increasing number of natural disasters including floods, droughts or massive wildfires are main factors that influence public attitudes.

"This puts a human face on the issue of climate change," he said, as cited by The Guardian. "Climate change denial is simply no longer plausible, and the American people are recognizing that."

The poll found that 59% of Americans believe that changes in the climate are already happening, and a record 65% put the blame on greenhouse gases released by human activity, a striking shift since last year's 55%. Only 31% agreed that warmer temperatures were due to natural causes.

It also emerged that Republicans have shown less skepticism recently on the issue, as 9% more of them than last year say they worry about it "a great deal." However, 35% think human activity is to blame, compared to 85% of Democrats. Among independents, 68% accept human activity is the main cause of warming, with 64% saying they are worried.

Previously, results of a 2014 poll showed that over 40% of Americans felt that the problem of global warming was exaggerated by media. But doubt is vanishing now with consistent evidence of a warming world. Last year was the warmest year on record globally, and scientists predict that this record will be broken in 2016.