Sensing a lack of concern about global warming? So are two important sources quoted in the news today: Al Gore and a Gallup poll of more than 1,000 Americans.

During an interview with Britain’s Sun, the former vice president seemed to offer a down-and-out update on his efforts since the release of “An Inconvenient Truth,” the documentary that won an Oscar as well as the wrath of many critics.

“The situation has not improved since I made the movie in 2006,” he told the paper, neglecting to mention that he also shared a Nobel prize during that time. “You have to ask what would it take to set off the alarm bells to make this a top-of-mind priority in the body politic.” Not melting ice at the North Pole, he added.

Hours after the article was published, Gallup released a poll that will only add to his disappointment and questions about how to mobilize public opinion:

While 61% of Americans say the effects of global warming have already begun, just a little more than a third say they worry about it a great deal, a percentage that is roughly the same as the one Gallup measured 19 years ago.

One effort to jolt the masses ended up offending some of the nation’s most celebrated citizens. As a way to communicate its “War on Global Warming” issue this week, Time magazine riffed on the famous image of U.S. troops raising a flag over Iwo Jima in World War II. (The flag was substituted with a tree, see image to the right.)

Business & Media Institute, which thinks the public has been warned enough about climate change, tracked down several soldiers involved in the epic fight in 1945. But a spokesman for the American Veterans Center most clearly explained their objections by voicing skepticism about global warming along with a desire to keep their service out of politics:

“Global warming may or may not be a significant threat to the United States,” Holbert said. “The Japanese Empire in February of 1945, however, certainly was, and this photo trivializes the most recognizable moment of one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. history. War analogies should be used sparingly by political advocates of all bents.”

Richard Stengel, the managing editor of Time magazine, defended his decision by echoing Mr. Gore. “There needs to be an effort along the lines of preparing for World War Two to combat global warming and climate change,” he said.  Source

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