In Brief Public less interested in environmental protection Archived article from Mar 20, 2006   Public support for environmental protection in the United States has dropped substantially since 2001. Michael Greenberg, a professor and associate dean at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, found from analyzing the results of an annual public opinion survey that with the exception of wanting Washington to focus on job creation, the public is less interested in a range of domestic priorities. In January 2001, 63 percent of respondents wanted the environment to be a top priority. In succeeding years, support fell to an average of 45 percent. Greenberg says the findings indicate that there must be attempts to explain to the public, media and politicians that environmental protection and management are critically important to public health, job creation and economic development. Greenberg’s analysis was published recently in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. Return to the Mar 20, 2006 issue

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