In his second inaugural speech this week President Barack Obama made a point of planting a flag on the issue of global warming. “We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations,” Mr. Obama said from the steps of the Capitol.

That’s the kind of line that brings applause from an audience of strong Obama supporters, but beyond the Beltway, attitudes about global warming are more complicated and mixed. How mixed? Consider two places: Ronan, Mont., and Ann Arbor, Mich.