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Finally, some good news about public opinion and climate change!

A new poll conducted by Yale and George Mason University shows that a majority of Americans connect extreme weather events with climate change.  Of those surveyed, a 2 to 1 majority agree that our warm winter and record-high summer temperatures were most likely made worse by climate change.

The survey also asked about individual experiences with extreme weather – Midwesterners are most likely to report having experienced extreme high winds, rainstorms, snowstorms, and tornadoes. But the most surprising finding was that 35% of respondents said they’d personally been harmed by extreme weather in the last year.

Overall, the results seem to contrast the drop in concern about climate change over the past few years, but perhaps having direct experience of potential consequences of climate change makes us more likely to connect the dots. What do you think?

For the full report: http://environment.yale.edu/climate/files/Extreme-Weather-Climate-Preparedness.pdf

- Post contributed by Katy Walter, clean energy specialist.