More Americans Believe Global Warming Natural Versus Man-made

Despite years of hysterical, Al Gore-loving media hype that humans are destroying the planet by emitting too much carbon dioxide, more Americans now believe global warming is being caused by long-term planetary forces rather than man's activities.

This represents a stunning reversal in the past twelve months, and is likely a function of a recent global cooling that has thwarted efforts by climate alarmists to convince citizens that the warming trend that began in the mid-'70s was going to continue forever if the world didn't immediately stop burning fossil fuels.

Now, according to Rasmussen Reports, those believing man can actually control the planet's thermostat have plummeted in number:

Just one-out-of-three voters (34%) now believe global warming is caused by human activity, the lowest finding yet in Rasmussen Reports national surveying. However, a plurality (48%) of the Political Class believes humans are to blame.

Forty-eight percent (48%) of all likely voters attribute climate change to long-term planetary trends, while seven percent (7%) blame some other reason. Eleven percent (11%) aren’t sure.

These numbers reflect a reversal from a year ago when 47% blamed human activity while 34% said long-term planetary trends.

Maybe this is why climate alarmists like Joe Romm are getting more and more insane with their claims on this issue.

After all, with the planet cooling -- and destined to do so for many years to come according to most meteorologists and climatologists -- the window of opportunity to tax carbon emissions is shrinking.

People like Gore, James Hansen, and Romm know this, and that's why the pressure to get Congress to act quickly on carbon cap and trade legislation has been ramped up.

With that in mind, if such a scheme is not enacted this year -- which Hill watchers view as very likely due to other priorities facing the nation -- and temperatures do continue to cool thereby further reducing the public's belief in the anthropogenic global warming myth, the probability of such legislation ever coming to fruition gets lower and lower.

That's what I call a convenient truth.