EzraS wrote:
The average person not having faith in climate change science probably does not have much if any impact.
You underestimate the average person.
Some really cool maps here:
https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/v ... geo=countyIn short, 70% of Americans believe in global warming. In every single county in America, at least 50% of people think climate change is happening.
Only 57% of Americans think that climate change is mostly man-made. This is somewhat worrying, but still shows the average American is reasonably well-informed.
Only 49% of Americans think that most scientists think global warming is happening. I'm very surprised by that! Meanwhile, 62% think global warming is affecting the weather.
61% are worried about global warming, 70% think it will harm future generations, plants, and animals, and 77% support regulation of CO2 as a pollutant.
After some high-profile reports from the IPCC last year, Americans are getting even better informed - see here for example:
https://www.vox.com/2019/1/28/18197262/ ... carbon-taxAnd America is not alone in any of this.