More good news, people actually are willing to change behavior, with 63% saying they have taken actions to reduce their energy use and 43% purchasing more energy efficient appliances. One in five has given up the bottle -- water that is. The local food movement has also had an impact with 27% stating that they are buying more locally grown food.
Now the bad news. Less people believe that climate change will present a direct threat to them in their lifetime; only 30% as opposed to last year when 36% saw it as a major threat. Slightly fewer than last year believe it is not a threat -- 39% rather than 41% and the rest are not sure. Plus, fewer people believe the change that is occurring is substantial, 40% to the previous 50%. Clearly a lot of Americans aren’t reading, watching, or listening to enough news. And those 18 -- 31 year olds and 32 -- 43 year olds that were so interested in their carbon footprint? Roughly 30% of them admit to doing nothing to reduce that footprint, while 80% of seniors are taking action.
Seniors do the most to reduce home energy use while those that grew up during the “me era” 1980s do the least. In fact, seniors do more in just about every category, from buying local food to giving up bottled water, than every other generation. So perhaps the next generation doesn’t really get it yet. Perhaps things don’t bode so well. Or perhaps the Echo Boomers and Gen-Xers will start looking to their elders for a little guidance on how to take on climate change and get with the program. After all, even if grandma can’t figure out the internet or how to work a carbon calculator, she can do things that are much more important; turn down her thermostat, drink tap water and buy locally grown produce. She can take the threat seriously and take personal responsibility for making change. Way to go Grandma!
