On Monday night, Stephen Colbert spoke for many Americans when he said we have "stood with one voice and boldly proclaimed, 'Eh.'"
He admitted to his viewers, "I know global warming is real," even if poll numbers of Americans concerned about environmental problems dropped between 2007 and 2011.
If American CO2 emissions are so high, Colbert wondered, "Just think what those emissions numbers would be if America still made anything." He joked, "Right now it's all coming from hobo fires and Vin Diesel movies."
Colbert noted how the country's economic downturn meant fewer people caring about the environment. "Which is surprising," he said, "since more and more people are living in it."
In the past year, however, the number of Americans that believe the Earth is warming may have risen again, according to a Reuters/Stanford/Ipsos poll. There is still a disturbingly large number who question human influence, and doubters include some political leaders.
HuffPost blogger William S. Becker writes, "What's remarkable is the dissonance between climate chickens and physical reality."
A leading figure in the climate change debate, Erik Rasmussen, told HuffPost's Lynne Peeples that despite our limited time and options to address climate change, "threats provide innovation."
WATCH:
The Colbert Report
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