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Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Fall 2023
A survey of 1,033 American adults in October 2023 shows that 72% believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it primarily to human causes. While 65% of respondents express worry about global warming and many identify specific local risks like power outages and extreme heat, a majority (65%) rarely or never discuss the topic with family and friends. Approximately 10% of respondents report symptoms of anxiety or depression linked to global warming. Despite these concerns, 60% of Americans disagree that it is too late to act, and 63% feel a personal responsibility to help reduce global warming.
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Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes
The Fall 2024 report on 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that 73% of Americans believe global warming is happening, with 60% attributing it primarily to human activity. While 64% express worry about global warming and 49% claim to have personally experienced its effects, social engagement remains low, with 62% rarely or never discussing the issue with family and friends. The report also highlights significant concerns regarding local environmental risks, particularly extreme heat, air pollution, and power outages.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes
The Fall 2024 report on 'Climate Change in the American Mind' reveals that a strong majority of Americans (73%) believe global warming is happening, with 60% attributing it primarily to human causes. While 64% of adults express worry about global warming and many perceive it as a current harm to the United States, social engagement remains low, with 62% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. The report also highlights significant concerns regarding local environmental risks, particularly extreme heat, air pollution, and power outages.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Record Global Temperatures and U.S. Billion-Dollar Disasters
The document reports that 2023 is virtually certain to be the hottest year on record, with global surface temperatures from January to November 2023 ranking highest in the 144-year record at 1.4°C above the 1881-1910 baseline. In the U.S., 25 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters occurred between January and November 2023, surpassing the previous annual record of 22 in 2020. These events caused an estimated 482 deaths and $81 billion in damages, with severe storms accounting for 76% of these disasters. The average time between such disasters in 2023 dropped to 10 days, compared to 82 days in the 1980s.
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Document type: Fact sheet
What do Americans think is the biggest threat from global warming?
Based on a March 2021 survey of 1,037 U.S. adults, the report finds that 'Weather extremes and changes' is the most commonly cited threat of global warming, mentioned by 20% of respondents. Perceptions of these threats vary significantly by political affiliation, with Democrats more likely to cite extreme weather and inaction, while Republicans are more likely to view climate action itself as a threat or believe global warming is not a threat. Other identified concerns include pollution, environmental harms, and food and water shortages.
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Document type: Report
Your Guide to Making the Climate Connection
The document argues that reporting on extreme weather is incomplete without explaining the climate connection. It provides specific phrasing for journalists to describe how warming temperatures 'supercharge' weather patterns and offers examples of this application across various phenomena, including heatwaves, droughts, flooding, sea level rise, winter weather, hurricanes, and wildfires. It also recommends specific attribution tools like the Climate Shift Index and World Weather Attribution to provide scientific grounding for these claims.
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Document type: Guide
Hot Summer Days Linked to Climate Change in U.S. Cities
Analysis using the Climate Shift Index (CSI) reveals that 97% of the U.S. population experienced at least one summer day in 2023 with temperatures made at least twice as likely by climate change. The strongest impacts were concentrated in the U.S. South, Southwest, and Southeast, with San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Victoria, Texas, among the most affected cities. The period was also characterized by record-breaking heat streaks and a record number of billion-dollar weather disasters in the U.S.
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Document type: Briefing
Record Ocean Heat Impacts: From Hurricanes to Corals
Global sea surface temperatures reached unprecedented levels from April to July 2023, driven primarily by human-caused carbon pollution and El Niño. This warming increases the likelihood of rapid intensification in hurricanes and causes severe heat stress for coral reefs, particularly around Florida and the Caribbean. The document highlights that 48% of the global ocean experienced marine heat waves in July 2023, and warns that 70–90% of tropical coral reefs could disappear even if warming is limited to 1.5°C.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
Americans are becoming more worried about extreme heat
Analysis of survey data from March 2018 to April 2023 shows that Americans are increasingly worried about extreme heat harming their local areas. Concern grew by 9 percentage points over five years, outpacing increases in worry about other climate impacts such as wildfires and droughts. A majority of Americans also recognize the link between global warming and extreme heat.
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Document type: Research paper
Worry about extreme heat
Analysis of U.S. public opinion shows a significant increase in worry about extreme heat harming local areas between 2018 and 2023, with heat now topping the list of climate-related concerns over wildfires, droughts, and flooding.
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Document type: Report
Laborie, Saint Lucia: A Caribbean fishing village navigating the turbulent waves of a changing climate
The village of Laborie, Saint Lucia, faces significant economic and social threats due to climate change, specifically through depleted fish catches, sea-level rise, and intense hurricanes. Fisherfolk have adapted by using fish aggregating devices (FADs) and traveling further offshore, though extreme weather continues to destroy equipment and infrastructure. While the Laborie Fishers’ & Consumers Co-operative provides critical distress funding, a lack of long-term insurance for small vessels remains a vulnerability. National efforts, such as the Fisheries Sectoral Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan (2018-2028), aim to enhance sustainability and support the transition toward a resilient blue economy.
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Document type: Case study
Haciendo la conexión climática
The document argues that reporting on extreme weather without mentioning climate change is incomplete and potentially inaccurate. It provides specific phrasing and examples for connecting various weather phenomena—such as heatwaves, droughts, floods, and hurricanes—to global warming, while highlighting the role of attribution science in quantifying these links. It also recommends tools like the Climate Central 'Climate Change Index' and World Weather Attribution for real-time data.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide
Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes, Spring 2023
The report finds that a strong majority of Americans believe global warming is occurring and is mostly human-caused, with 66% expressing worry about the issue. While many perceive significant risks to their local communities and the United States—particularly from extreme heat, sea level rise, and wildfires—most Americans rarely discuss the topic with friends and family. The findings also indicate a general rejection of fatalism, with 66% disagreeing that it is too late to act, although a significant gap remains in public understanding of the strength of the scientific consensus on human-caused warming.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
HAITI
The Republic of Haiti developed its first National Adaptation Plan (NAP) for the period 2022–2030, led by the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation with support from the Green Climate Fund and UNDP. The plan identifies priority adaptation sectors including water, health, agriculture, and infrastructure, and estimates a minimum implementation cost of USD 980 million.
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Document type: Fact sheet
SAINT LUCIA CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS PRIORITY SECTORS FOR ADAPTATION
Saint Lucia's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is a 10-year participatory process led by the Department of Sustainable Development to build resilience across eight priority sectors. The process integrates various tools, including a Climate Financing Strategy and Private Sector Engagement Strategy, and has reached milestones such as the publication of the first NAP Progress Report in 2022 and Green Climate Fund project approval in 2023.
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Document type: Fact sheet
El Niño and La Niña: Local and global effects
The document describes the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as a natural climate pattern consisting of warm (El Niño), cold (La Niña), and neutral phases driven by sea surface temperatures and pressures in the tropical Pacific. It details how these phases disrupt atmospheric circulation, affecting global precipitation and temperature. Specifically, La Niña is associated with wetter conditions in Australia and Indonesia and warmer, drier winters in the southern U.S., while El Niño is linked to drought in Australia and Indonesia and cooler, wetter winters in the southern U.S. The text emphasizes that while ENSO can nudge global temperatures, it does not mask the long-term warming trend caused by carbon pollution; for instance, 2022 remained the sixth hottest year on record despite a persistent La Niña. Historical data from the 2015-2016 El Niño event highlights severe consequences, including forest fires in Indonesia, flooding in Peru, and an estimated 60 million people impacted by extremes across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific region.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
2022 U.S. Temperatures and Billion-Dollar Disasters
In 2022, the U.S. experienced 18 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters causing $165 billion in damages and 474 deaths, with Hurricane Ian being the costliest hurricane on record. The year was the 18th hottest on record for the U.S., with 73% of analyzed locations experiencing warmer-than-normal temperatures. These events are part of a longer warming trend, with 98% of analyzed U.S. locations showing increased average annual temperatures from 1970 to 2021. Meanwhile, U.S. fossil fuel emissions increased by 1.5% in 2022, though the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to help double annual wind and solar PV capacity additions by 2027 compared to 2021.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes
The report finds that a strong majority of Americans believe global warming is happening and is mostly human-caused. While many express worry and feel a personal responsibility to help, social engagement remains low, with most rarely discussing the topic with family and friends. There is significant concern regarding the impact of global warming on the U.S. environment, particularly extreme heat, droughts, and wildfires, though fatalism remains low.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind
The report details a survey of 1,011 US adults, finding that 74% believe global warming is happening and 61% attribute it primarily to human activity. While 66% express worry and 62% feel a personal responsibility to help, social engagement remains low, with 66% rarely or never discussing the issue with family and friends. A majority of respondents perceive global warming as already affecting US weather and various environmental problems, such as extreme heat and rising sea levels, though only 20% recognize the high level of scientific consensus (over 90%) on human-caused warming.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Climate Change in the American Mind: Beliefs & Attitudes
A survey of 1,033 American adults in October 2023 reveals that 72% believe global warming is happening, with 58% attributing it primarily to human activities. While 65% of respondents express worry about global warming and many perceive risks to their local communities—particularly from extreme heat and power outages—social engagement remains low, with 65% rarely or never discussing the topic with family and friends. Approximately 10% of respondents report psychological distress, such as anxiety or depression, linked to global warming.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report