Earth Equity News

Climate Fears Turn to Doubts in the U.K.. By Elisabeth Rosenthal, NYTimes, May 25, 2010. "In Britain, climate change was until this year such a popular priority that in 2008 Parliament enshrined targets for emissions cuts as national law. But since then, the country has evolved into a home base for a thriving group of climate skeptics who have dominated news reports in recent months, apparently convincing many that the threat of warming is vastly exaggerated. A survey in February by the BBC found that only 26% of Britons believed that 'climate change is happening and is now established as largely manmade,' down from 41% in November 2009. A poll conducted for the German magazine Der Spiegel found that 42% of Germans feared global warming, down from 62% four years earlier. And a poll in January of the personal priorities of 141 Conservative Party candidates deemed capable of victory in the recent election found that 'reducing Britain's carbon footprint' was the least important of the 19 issues presented to them. Politicians and activists say such attitudes will make it harder to pass legislation like a fuel tax increase and to persuade people to make sacrifices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."