A U.K. government commissioned study found that people who claim to be concerned with global warming actually use more electricity than those who do not.
The Telegraph reported:
Those who say they are concerned about the prospect of climate change consume more energy than those who say it is "too far into the future to worry about," the study commissioned by the Department for Energy and Climate Change found.
That is in part due to age, as people over 65 are more frugal with electricity but much less concerned about global warming.
However, even when pensioners are discounted, there is only a "weak trend" to show that people who profess to care about climate change do much to cut their energy use.
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The researchers wrote: "Taken all together, householders who strongly agreed they were not worried about climate change because it was too far in the future in fact used less electricity rather than more, counter to the hypothesis that households concerned about climate change use less electricity.
The study was based on the Household Electricity Survey, which documents the electricity use of 250 families during a one-year period.
A disconnect between climate change enthusiasts and their own carbon footprints has been noted before. Former Vice President Al Gore drew headlines in 2007 when it was revealed he had a $30,000 utility bill. President Obama, who has made acting on climate change a major issue during his second term, burned 35,000 gallons of fuel on Earth Day.