We tend to imagine that experiencing the effects of global warming will wake people up to the problem. The thinking goes that when people see their homes flood or the skies turn orange from wildfire smoke, they may change their views on climate science and even be inspired to act. A number of studies have found such a correlation in the United States and Europe, and our popular narratives confirm it. For instance, Kim Stanley Robinson’s speculative climate novel Ministry for the Future begins with the world embracing climate action after a deadly heat wave in India.
New research complicates that picture. A nationwide survey from the polling firm Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation has found that almost 4 in 10 Americans say they have experienced damage from extreme weather in recent years. It also found that those who say they have experienced extreme weather are more likely to feel that they are at the mercy of forces outside their control.
The gap is significant. The Gallup poll found that 38 percent o... Read more
