A Report from
National Surveys on Energy and Environment Issues in Energy and Environmental Policy
Number 42 | December 2018
Adaptation, Mitigation, and Geoengineering: 10 Years of Climate Action in the NSEE Introduction In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a new assessment of the consequences of rising temperatures, and assessed actions that could prevent these increases.1 This report emphasized the importance and urgency of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Responses to climate change are commonly presented as falling into one of two strategies—adaptation to the current and future climate, or mitigating further change by trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Options for mitigation include reducing the use of fossil fuels2 and increasing the use of renewable energy.3 A third potential strategy is geoengineering (sometimes referred to as climate engineering). Geoengineering can include large-scale interventions to reduce global temperatures, as well as the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This report examines American attitudes on how to respond to climate change. We look at preferences for focusing on adaptation or mitigation efforts, and at Americans’ beliefs on whether efforts to prevent further climate change can actually be effective. We also consider attitudes toward technological solutions to global warming, including American opinions on the effectiveness and safety of geoengineering. Finally, we look more closely at support for carbon dioxide removal.
Authors
NSEE @10 Since 2008, the University of Michigan and Muhlenberg College have conducted the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE), a biannual national opinion survey on energy and climate policy. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the survey, throughout 2018 NSEE will be releasing a series of reports highlighting the breadth of topics we have covered over the past decade. These reports present time-series data on how American attitudes about energy policy and climate change have changed from 2008 to 2017, as well as comparisons to Canadian opinion, collected through a parallel survey conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal. You can find previous reports in this series at: www.closup.umich.edu/nsee
Natalie B. Fitzpatrick • Sarah B. Mills • Christopher Borick
University of Michigan