IMO the cover is psychological terrorism. It's subtext: Give us money & power or your house will be destroyed.

btw, a push poll is a when someone phones a lot of people and asks loaded questions designed to alter public opinion, or at best to get results they can tout
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_poll

• http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/18/why-the-yale-and-george-mason-university-poll-attempt-to-tie-extreme-weather-to-global-warming-is-rubbish/#more-61555