A national study of what Americans know about the causes and effects of global warming, along with potential solutions, reveals a general acknowledgement of our limited understanding. According to the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, only 10 percent believe they are “very well informed,” while 75 percent say they would like to know more about the issue. Likewise, 75 percent want America’s schools to teach our children about climate change, while 68 percent would welcome a national program to make us all better informed.

Overall, 63 percent of the Americans surveyed believe that global warming is occurring, but only about half of our citizens make the connection between human activities and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Just 25 percent have ever heard of ocean acidification. Meanwhile, a large majority incorrectly thinks that global warming is somehow related to the hole in the ozone layer and that banning aerosol spray cans and stopping rockets from punching holes in the ozone blanket are viable solutions to the problem.