So we don’t get too besotted in celebration of the Nobel Prize win by Al Gore and the IPCC, the Washington Post shares these depressing factoids with us today:

Polls show that Gore’s efforts have helped raise the profile of global warming among Americans — an April Washington Post-ABC News survey found that the percentage of respondents identifying climate change as their top environmental concern had doubled from a year earlier, to 33 percent — but in the public’s mind, it still lags far behind such issues as the war in Iraq and health care in importance.

In a September Washington Post-ABC News poll, less than 1 percent identified global warming as their top issue for the 2008 presidential campaign, and a January poll by the Pew Research Center ranked it fourth-lowest out of 23 policy priorities that Americans want the president and Congress to address.

Can’t let us have even one good day, eh Juliet Eilperin? Fine! To quote our newest Nobel laureate:

“I’m going back to work right now. This is just the beginning.”

Our sister site, ScienceProgress, interviewed me on the impact of the prize — here.

Check them out — they’re new, but already have a full head of steam on science issues from a progressive perspective.