Most in US U.S. doubt climate change is linked to hurricanes in the South Richard Morin The Washington Post PostA A majority of Americans believe the Earths Earth's atmosphere is heating up but they doubt that global warming is to blame for the deadly st storms that have struck the United States this hurricane season I U JLuius IU w 4 u Washington Post-ABC Post News poll The survey found that 56 percent believe that global warming is occurring whereas 40 percent say they are not convinced That is unchanged from a poll conducted in April before the hurricane season season season sea sea- son which suggests that hurricanes Katrina andRita and andRita andRita Rita did not substantially substantial substantial- ly alter the publics public's view on climate change Similar proportions doubt that global warming is isto isto isto to blame for this years year's rash of major hurricanes A modest majority 54 said percent the bad storm season is just one of those things that happen from time to time tune but 39 percent say it is the result of climate change Americans also are divided over whether the government should take immediate action to address global climate change Nearly half 47 per per- said cent the problem must be studied further before the gov gov- emment acts while 41 percent said it requires immediate government action Scientists have documented a gradual increase in Earths Earth's temperature in recent decades Most authorities on climate change believe that the burning burning burning burn burn- ing of fossil fuels such as coal and gasoline is at least partially partial partial- ly responsible for the rise occurring and nearly as many Republicans disagree A narrow narrow narrow nar nar- nar- nar row majority of Democrats say climate change requires government government gov gov- emment intervention a bigger share of Republicans say it is a term long-term problem that does not not require quick action The new poll found that relatively relatively relatively rel rel- rel- rel few Americans see the recent storms as Gods God's work 54 percent said the bad storm season is just one of those k things that happen from time to time Richard Morin Some scientists disagree however however how how- however ever saying the increase may be due to normal weather cycles President Bush has earned the wrath of environmentalists and others for saying that he thinks global warming is occurring but that he is not convinced climate change is the result of human activity The debate over the weather has a decidedly partisan cast the survey found Two thirds of all Democrats say they ar are convinced global warning warming is and only a fraction of those say the storms are divine punishment About one in four Americans Americans 23 23 percent per per- cent view cent view these storms as deliberate ate acts of God Among those who see a divine hand at work this hurricane season only 8 percent percent percent per per- cent believe that God sent the storms to punish sinners About half said the storms were intended intend intend- ed as a warning but one in seven viewed them as tests of faith Evangelical Christians were only slightly more likely than the general public to see hurricanes as acts of God or onto orto to view them as a divine punish punish- ment A total of 1019 randomly I selected adults were interviewed inter inter- interviewed viewed by telephone Sept 23 to 27 The margin of sampling error for the overall results results' is p plus us or minus three percentage p points ints