Global warming is now a wedge issue splitting the Republican Party.
A mountain of hard evidence over the past 2 years has reversed the decline in public opinion that there is solid evidence of global warming. The Koch oil empire's efforts to disparage scientists is failing. Rupert Murdoch's disinformation campaign at Fox News is failing. A majority of Democrats, Independents and rational Republicans agree that greenhouse gas caused global warming is happening now. Seventy percent of Tea Party Republicans continue to deny global warming, but independents and moderate Republicans have stopped believing the misinformation from the Kochs and Fox News. From 2009 to 2011 22% of moderate Republicans and 10% of independents changed their opinions towards supporting science.
This large shift in the opinion of political moderates indicates that action on global warming is politically positive provided voters can be convinced that jobs will be gained, not lost. Policies that increase green jobs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions are big political winners. Right wing extremist Republicans will not vote for Democrats so Democrats will not lose their votes.
Since 2009, there have been sharp increases in the percentages of independents and moderate and liberal Republicans who say there is solid evidence of global warming.
Currently, 63% of independents say there is solid evidence of rising temperatures, up from 53% in October 2009. The shift has been more dramatic among moderate and liberal Republicans, who comprise about a third of all Republicans. More than six-in-ten (63%) now see solid evidence of global warming, compared with 41% two years ago.
(Source: Pew)