A poll released today by the Yale Project on Climate Change and its partners finds that 68 percent of Americans support a new international treaty requiring the United States to cut its emissions of carbon dioxide 90 percent by the year 2050.

“One of the most surprising findings was the growing sense of urgency,” said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change and the study’s principal investigator. “Nearly half of Americans now believe that global warming is either already having dangerous impacts on people around the world or will in the next 10 years – a 20-percentage-point increase since 2004. These results indicate a sea change in public opinion.”

“In another surprising finding, 40 percent of respondents say a presidential candidate’s position on global warming will be extremely important (16 percent) or very important (24 percent) in their decision about whom to vote for. “With the presidential primaries and general election near,” he said, “candidates should recognize that global warming has become an important issue for the electorate.”

If you like this story, please feel free to vote for it at Digg.com here and Hugg.com here and help us spread the word. Thanks!