Poll: Red or blue, regulate CO2

Results from a national survey conducted in late 2013, and made public yesterday by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason Center for Climate Change research, show strong support for action among Americans of every political orientation. A whopping  83% of Americans say "the U.S. should make an effort to reduce global warming, even if it has economic costs."

In a sign of hope for generating the political will to do what needs to be done to ensure a healthier climate and ocean, and a sustainable society for the future, majorities of both Democrats and Republicans support national action on climate and energy policies. Majorities of Americans in red, blue, and purple states support:

  •  providing tax rebates on the purchase of energy efficient vehicles or solar panels;
  • funding more research into renewable energy sources;
  • regulating CO2 as a pollutant; and
  • eliminating all subsidies for the fossil fuel industry.

 

From ClimateProgress:

"In general, Americans want less fossil fuels and more low-carbon energy — with many willing to pay more for those benefits:

  • 67% want to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant
  • 59% want to cut fossil fuel subsidies entirely — while 60 percent think cutting renewable subsidies is a bad idea
  • 56% would pay an extra $100 a year if it meant their electric utility was required to produce more than 20 percent electricity from renewables
  • 72% want more research funding for renewable energy"

 

For the complete study, "Public Support for Climate and Energy Policies in November 2013," please link here.

Also, stay tuned as we will soon be releasing action guides, specifically to help our partner network effectively engage their visitors and the public in helping with solutions to climate change and ocean acidification through green power opportunities around World Oceans Day.