Kala Kachmar

@NewsQuip

Most Americans acknowledge climate change and believe it’s leading to higher sea levels and more extreme weather patterns, according to a Monmouth University Poll released Tuesday.

About 60 percent believe it’s a "very" or "somewhat" serious problem and another 64 percent say they’re in favor of government action to reduce the activities that lead to climate change and sea level rise, according to the poll.

“There’s a strong consensus of the problem and the need to take action,” said Tony MacDonald, director of Monmouth University’s Urban Coast Institute, which conducted the poll with the university’s polling institute.

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About 70 percent believe the climate is changing, while 22 percent don't and 8 percent are unsure.

The poll also shows that there’s still a major political divide on the issue. About 43 percent of Republicans don’t believe climate change is happening at all, compared to 17 percent of independents and 10 percent Democrats.

Democrats and independents are also more likely than Republicans to support government action, according to the poll.

“The question now is what action needs to be taken,” MacDonald said. “The concern is how we are going to come up with the plans to actually start reducing our impacts in the future and mitigate the impact on communities.”

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MacDonald said one of the big takeaways is that Americans are starting to acknowledge the rise in sea levels around the globe.

47 percent said sea level rise is as much of a problem in the U.S. as it is for other countries; 40 percent said it’s more of a problem elsewhere

49 percent of residents in coastal states said the U.S. will be just as affected as other nations; 39 percent said the opposite

“The science seems to be pretty clear,” MacDonald said. “The statistics say we’ve had a 1.5 foot sea level rise in Atlantic City since 1912, and another 1.5 foot rise is anticipated by 2050.”

The poll also found that 55 percent believe that sea level rise will have a "great deal" or "some" impact on everything from the weather to the quality of drinking water.

A majority of those who acknowledge climate change also believe it's caused by both human activity and natural changes equally (34 percent), while 27 percent believe the changes are caused by human activity alone and 8 percent believe it's all natural.

Kala Kachmar: 732-643-4061; kkachmar@gannettnj.com.