Washington Post poll: Most Americans believe the world is warming
A man tries to cool himself with a bottle of water during the first heat wave of the year June 9, 2008 in New York City
A poll released Friday finds that most Americans believe in global warming, but are split as to whether we can stop it.
Six in 10 of those surveyed in the Washington Post-Stanford University poll said they believe weather patterns have been more unstable in the past three years than in previous years, a level that's changed little since 2006, the Washington Post reported.
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Nearly as many also said average temperatures have been higher during the past three years than before that.
But 60 percent of those polled said global warming will be extremely or very difficult to stop, while 55 percent believed a "great deal" or "good amount" can be done to reduce its impact, according to the poll.
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The study comes on the heels of a report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that linked last year's Texas drought and other severe wather to global warming, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
It also comes days after the US Department of Agriculture declared natural disaster areas in more than 1,000 counties and 26 states stricken by drought. It's the largest such declaration in US history, Yahoo! News reported.
According to the US Drought Monitor, more than half the country is experiencing drought conditions — the largest percentage in the service's 12-year history.
A blistering heat wave in June is partly to blame. More than 170 all-time temperature records were tied or broken during the month, according to Yahoo!.