Yet the 12 years that the UN cites for absolute action to circumvent this climate crisis is 20 years less than the average person believes, according to the new survey commissioned by Cool Effect and conducted by OnePoll. The survey examined US attitudes toward climate change, the actions they’re taking, and their thoughts regarding the future. The results indicate that we need to significantly increase awareness of our everyday carbon footprints if we’re to make more than slight incremental changes to offset carbon emissions.