Chris Dunker, Columbus Telegram - A majority of rural Nebraskans believe the state should start adapting to a changing climate, according to a survey conducted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this year.
Sixty-one percent of the more than 2,200 respondents to the Nebraska Rural Poll said the state should begin preparing for climate change in order to reduce its impact on agriculture, rural communities, forestry and natural resources.
This year’s poll, the 20th annual survey of rural Nebraskans’ perceptions on quality of life and policy issues, follows an 88-page impact study on the changing climate of Nebraska published last year.
According to UNL researchers who completed the study, rising temperatures in the state could evaporate soil moisture and cause a drop in crop and livestock production.
Nebraskans indicated their trust in UNL experts, with 70 percent of respondents saying they believed information coming from the university, 61 percent saying they trust scientists in general, and 55 percent indicating trust in doctors and public health experts as sources of information on climate change.
Respondents also trust television weather reporters, state and federal agencies and environmental organizations, the poll found, while distrusting traditional and social media, radio hosts, online blogs and podcasts.
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