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Climate Change in the American Mind: November 2019


7. Global Warming and Severe Weather

7.1 More than six in ten Americans think global warming is affecting weather in the United States.

More than six in ten Americans (64%) think global warming is affecting weather in the United States, including more than half (56%) who think global warming is affecting U.S. weather either “a lot” (31%) or “some” (25%).

About three in ten Americans (31%) think global warming is affecting weather “a lot.”

 

7.2 Many Americans think global warming made several extreme weather and related events worse in 2019.

Nearly two in three Americans (64%) think global warming made melting of the Greenland ice sheets worse, and half or more think global warming made this summer’s European heat waves (55%) and wildfires in California (50%) worse. Fewer think global warming made flooding in the U.S. Midwest (46%), Hurricane Dorian (44%), or forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon (42%) worse. Very few Americans (17%) think global warming made the flight of refugees from Central American countries worse.

 

7.3 A majority of Americans are worried about harm from extreme events in their local area.

A majority of Americans are at least “a little worried” about extreme events in their local areas, including extreme heat (64%), droughts (60%), flooding (58%), and/or water shortages (54%). Fewer are worried about wildfires (43%), hurricanes (40%), and/or reduced snow pack (37%).

 

7.4 A majority of Americans think extreme weather poses a risk to their community.

A majority of Americans (56%) think extreme weather poses either a “high” (18%) or “moderate” (38%) risk to their community over the next 10 years. Fewer (37%) think extreme weather poses either a “low” risk (31%) or “no” risk (7%).