Why would they? Because “global warming” causes more fear than “climate change”
(NY Times) Many scientists have come to prefer the term “climate change†over “global warming.†Climate change is a broader term that encompasses not only the warming of the planet in recent years but also the rise of severe storms, droughts and damaging winds. The choice of terms has important implications for polling because Americans give different answers to questions depending on which is used.
According to a report by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication this week, the terms “are often not synonymous — they mean different things to different people, and activate different sets of beliefs, feelings, and behaviors.†While “climate change†makes many people think of general weather patterns — and natural fluctuations in temperature and precipitation — “global warming†tends to produce connotations of extreme weather.
When asked if climate change was a good or a bad thing, 63 percent of Americans said it was a bad thing, while 76 percent perceived global warming as a bad thing, a 13-point difference.
Of course, the big part here is that the study does not make any differentiation between anthropogenic and natural causation. Here’s how the question is position
On a scale for -3 (very bad) to +3 (very good), do you think (global warming/climate change) is a bad thing or a
good thing?
Only 33% found global warming to be very bad (-3), with 23% for climate change. What’s missing is a zero. I would find a flip to a cool period to be a -2. Human society has done much worse during cool periods than warm periods. Human society has done quite well during the Modern Warm Period, and during the Medieval Warm Period, which was warmer than today.
Essentially, this a study for Warmists, telling them to stop calling it “climate change” and go back to global warming. Of course, if they do that, they wouldn’t be able to Blame cold and snow on Mankind. It would significantly reduce their blamestorming abilities.
Unfortunately for Warmists, when it comes to Americans being concerned that either will harm them, most say “nope!”
