Climate, Energy & Environment

Despite broadly similar views about the overall place of science in America, there are striking differences between the public and scientists’ views on a host of science-related issues, from whether genetically modified foods are safe to eat to whether the world’s growing population will be a major problem.

55% of Catholics rated Francis positively on addressing sex abuse, and 53% gave him high marks on environmental issues. But these were two out of nine areas in which Francis drew the least positive ratings.

Pope Francis will publish an encyclical addressing environmental issues and climate change this Thursday, a subject that continues to deeply divide Americans, including Catholics, along partisan and ideological lines.

A solid majority of U.S. Catholics believe that Earth is warming. But climate change is a highly politicized issue that sharply divides American Catholics, like the U.S. public as a whole, mainly along political party lines.

Popes have written encyclicals on an array of topics, ranging from the nature of work to the virginity of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

Though crude oil continues to be the nation's single biggest import, energy exports have risen sharply. Exports of some metals and agricultural products also have grown rapidly.

The 2010 spill was one of the two biggest stories of the year in terms of news interest. Support for offshore drilling plummeted, but has largely recovered.

Two-thirds of Hispanics say the Earth is warming mostly because of human activity like burning fossil fuels, while about half of blacks and 41% of whites say the same.