School Notes: School of the Environment
May/June 2007

Poll shows more Americans concerned about environment

Yale research has revealed a significant shift in public attitudes toward the environment and global warming. According to the Yale Environmental Poll, conducted in February by the Global Strategy Group, fully 83 percent of Americans think global warming is a "serious" problem, up from 70 percent in 2004. More Americans than ever said they have serious concerns about environmental threats, such as toxic soil and water (92 percent, up from 85 percent in 2004), deforestation (89 percent, up from 78 percent), air pollution (93 percent, up from 87 percent), and the extinction of wildlife (83 percent, up from 72 percent in 2005).

Most dramatically, the survey of 1,000 adults nationwide showed that 63 percent of Americans agree that the United States "is in as much danger from environmental hazards, such as air pollution and global warming, as it is from terrorists." It revealed growing concern about dependence on Middle Eastern oil, with 96 percent of the public saying this is a serious problem. As a result, the public overwhelmingly supports increasing the use of alternative energy, including solar and wind power, as well as investing more in energy efficiency.

The results also suggested that many Americans want greener products and are ready to spend money to try new technologies that will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Seventy percent of the public indicated a willingness to buy solar panels, and 67 percent would consider buying a hybrid car.

New faculty to explore religion, environmental ethics

Two prominent scholars in the fields of religion, ecology, and environmental ethics have been granted five-year appointments at the School of Forestry, effective July 1. Mary Evelyn Tucker, Bioethics Center environmental ethicist in residence for 2006-07, has been named senior lecturer; and John Grimm, the Institution for Social and Policy Studies scholar-in-residence for 2006-07, has been appointed senior research scholar. In these capacities, Tucker and Grimm will work on developing the field of religion and ecology at F&ES and the university, bringing scholars in these fields to Yale, developing research in the areas of cosmology and ecology of religions, and working with other faculty to explore such topics as environmental values, ethics, and ecodesign. Dean Gus Speth hailed the appointments as "wonderful news," adding that there is a "significant role for religion, values, and ethics in the response to the environmental crises we humans, as well as the members of all other species, will increasingly face in the years ahead."