After summer's extreme weather, more Americans see climate change as a culprit, AP-NORC poll shows
Kathleen Maxwell has lived in Phoenix for more than 20 years, but this summer was the first time she felt fear, as daily high temperatures soared to 110 degrees or hotter and kept it up for a record-shattering 31 consecutive ...
"It's always been really hot here, but nothing like this past summer," said Maxwell, 50, who last week opened her windows for the first time since March and walked her dog outdoors for the first time since May. "I was seriously scared. Like, what if this doesn't end and this is how it's going to be?"
About 9 in 10 Americans (87%) say they have experienced at least one extreme weather event in the past five years—including drought, extreme heat, severe storms, wildfires or flooding—up from 79% who said that just a few months ago in April. And about three-quarters of those believe climate change is at least partly to blame.
In total, 64% of U.S. adults say both that they've recently experienced extreme weather and that they believe it was caused at least partially by climate change, up from 54% in April. And about 65% say climate change will have or already has had a major impact in their lifetime.
Sweat covers the face of Juan Carlos Biseno after dancing to music from his headphones as afternoon temperatures reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46.1 Celsius), July 19, 2023, in Calexico, Calif. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather, including a summer that brought dangerous heat for much of the United States, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File
People wear face masks as they walk outside in the smoke-filled air in Herald Square, June. 7, 2023, in New York. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File
Following days of rain, floodwaters surround homes and vehicles in the Planada community of Merced County, Calif., Jan. 10, 2023. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger, File
Salvation Army volunteer Francisca Corral, center, gives water to a man at a their Valley Heat Relief Station, July 11, 2023 in Phoenix. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather, including a summer that brought dangerous heat for much of the United States, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/Matt York, File
Firefighters monitor as flames consume brush along Gilman Springs Road during the Rabbit Fire, July 14, 2023, in Moreno Valley, Calif. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File
Cotton that did not survive due to drought is shown on the farm of Barry Evans on Oct. 3, 2022, in Kress, Texas. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay, File
People walk by cracked earth in an area once under the water of Lake Mead at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Jan. 27, 2023, near Boulder City, Nev. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/John Locher, File
Tina Brotherton, 88, looks over the remains of her business, Tina's Dockside Inn, which was completely destroyed in Hurricane Idalia, as was Brotherton's nearby home, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Sept. 1, 2023. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File
A person walks along a trail as the sun sets, July 16, 2023, in Death Valley National Park, Calif. More Americans believe they've personally felt the impact of climate change because of recent extreme weather, including a summer that brought dangerous heat for much of the United States, according to new polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Credit: AP Photo/John Locher, File