The poll, conducted Dec. 9-12, shows growing support for policies that could mitigate the widespread environmental and economic destruction that many scientists predict climate change could cause in the coming decades. In the past several months, the U.S. has been hit by a series of deadly wildfires and hurricanes that have highlighted the possible human and economic costs of a hotter and drier world. Two major scientific reports in the past two months, one from the Trump administration and the other from the United Nations , detailed an enormous societal toll from unchecked climate change. Some 66% of poll respondents said some action was needed to address climate change , about the same share as in several past Journal/NBC surveys. The 45% share calling for immediate action was the highest since the survey began asking the question in 1999 and compares with 39% who supported immediate action in 2017. […]