The Energy Collective

The world's best thinkers on energy and climate

  • Home
  • Post Here
  • Columns
    • Electricity Markets & Policy Group
    • Full Spectrum
    • Energy and Policy Developments
    • Game Changers
    • Energy for Human Development
    • Seeking Consensus
    • Green Growth
    • New Energy Voices
  • Fuels
    • Oil
    • Wind
    • Nuclear Power
    • Coal
    • Natural Gas
    • Solar Power
    • Renewables
    • Biofuels
    • Geothermal Energy
    • Wave & Tidal
    • Hydro Power
  • Environment
    • Carbon and De-carbonization
    • International Climate Conferences
    • Sustainability
    • Climate
    • Public Health
    • Water
    • Recycling
  • Grid
    • Smart Grid
    • Electricity
  • Tech
    • Cleantech
    • Green Building
    • Storage
    • Rare Earth Minerals
  • Business and Economy
    • Cap-and-Trade
    • Agriculture
    • Efficiency
    • Green Business
    • Utilities
    • Finance
    • Green Jobs
    • Subsidies
    • Risk Management
  • Politics
    • Environmental Policy
    • Energy Security
    • Communications and Messaging
    • China
  • Transport
  • Help
    • FAQ
  • Account
    • Login
    • Register

Survey Says: Americans Favor Pro-Climate Candidates

August 17, 2012 by Arno Harris

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Yale_wx_globeSince the defeat of US carbon legislation in 2010, conventional political wisdom has held that climate was a losing issue. Politicians left and right have sought to distance themselves or even reverse their positions on climate change. And emboldened “deniers” have ramped up their anti-science agenda.

The reality is that the trend in public opinion is going the other way and candidates in the current election cycle would do well to pay attention. A report from Yale and George Mason University summarizing recent voter polls indicates just how wrong the conventional wisdom is. It concludes that “at the national level and among ten key swing states – taking a proclimate stand appears to benefit candidates more than hurt them with registered voters.”

Even more intriguing for those looking for votes are the following conclusions:

  • A majority of all registered voters (55%) say they will consider candidates’ views on global warming when deciding how to vote.
  • Among these climate change issue voters, large majorities believe global warming is happening and support action by the U.S. to reduce global warming, even if it has economic costs.
  • Independents lean toward “climate action” and look more like Democrats than Republicans on the issue.
  • A pro-climate action position wins votes among Democrats and Independents, and has little negative impact with Republican voters.
  • Policies to reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels and promote renewable energy are favored by a majority of registered voters across party lines.
  • These patterns are found nationally and among ten swing states.

Politicians should heed the numbers and reconsider where they stand on climate change. As the remaining skeptics fall away, I think we’ll see a resurgence of interest in the issue and increasing support for leaders who are willing to take a realistic look at our energy policy and its impact on the globe.

Related posts:

Carbon Regulation Becomes the Norm China To Cap Coal Use By 2020 To Meet Game-Changing Climate, Air Pollution Targets Executive Survey: Businesses Expect Some Form Of Carbon Tax Achieving Emissions Targets Without Cap-and-Trade

Arno Harris

I'm CEO of Recurrent Energy, a leading developer of solar projects for utilities and large energy customers. Recurrent Energy develops, builds, finances, and operates solar power projects--marketing clean electricity at competitive rates via Power Purchase Agreements or feed-in tariffs in North America, Europe, and emerging markets worldwide. Recurrent Energy is a US subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, following the sale of the company in 2010. With a 2-Gigawatt pipeline and over 330-megawatts of signed projects, we're well on our way to building a fleet of clean power plants sited right where they're needed most.

Filed Under: Carbon and De-carbonization, Climate Tagged With: carbon caps

  Subscribe  
newest oldest most voted
Notify of

The Energy Collective Columns

Full Spectrum: Energy Analysis and Commentary with Jesse JenkinsEnergy and Policy Developments with John Miller
Game Changers column badgeEnergy for Human Development Column
Seeking Consensus with Schalk CloeteGreen Growth with Silvio Marcacci
New Energy VoicesMore coming soon...

Latest comments

  • Randy Dutton on Climate Change Optimism: Five Years of Change Megaquakes (8.5 and higher) impact global warming. According to NOAA, a six megaquake cluster has re (April 20, 2018 at 10:00 PM)
  • EngineerPoet on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals Ontario already closed its last coal plant. (April 20, 2018 at 8:47 PM)
  • BobMeinetz on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals Of course, Bas. Look at all the pretty red dots on the right side of your graph, where NPPs powered (April 20, 2018 at 6:08 PM)
  • Bas Gresnigt on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals So those NPP's are happy to pay ~€60,000/hour*) each in order to get rid of their production... ___ (April 20, 2018 at 5:44 PM)

Advisory Panel

About the panel

Scott Edward Anderson is a consultant, blogger, and media commentator who blogs at The Green Skeptic. More »


Christine Hertzog is a consultant, author, and a professional explainer focused on Smart Grid. More »


Elias Hinckley is a strategic advisor on energy finance and energy policy to investors, energy companies and governments More »


Gary Hunt Gary is an Executive-in-Residence at Deloitte Investments with extensive experience in the energy & utility industries. More »


Jesse Jenkins is a graduate student and researcher at MIT with expertise in energy technology, policy, and innovation. More »


Jim Pierobon helps trade associations/NGOs, government agencies and companies communicate about cleaner energy solutions. More »


Geoffrey Styles is Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC and an award-winning blogger. More »


Featured Contributors

Rod Adams

Scott Edward Anderson

Charles Barton

Barry Brook

Steven Cohen

Dick DeBlasio

Senator Pete Domenici

Simon Donner

Big Gav

Michael Giberson

Kirsty Gogan

James Greenberger

Lou Grinzo

Jesse Grossman

Tyler Hamilton

Christine Hertzog

David Hone

Gary Hunt

Jesse Jenkins

Sonita Lontoh

Rebecca Lutzy

Jesse Parent

Jim Pierobon

Vicky Portwain

Willem Post

Tom Raftery

Joseph Romm

Robert Stavins

Robert Stowe

Geoffrey Styles

Alex Trembath

Gernot Wagner

Dan Yurman

 

 

 

Follow Us

32-linkedin 32-facebook 32-twitter 32-rss

Content for personal use only. Distribution prohibited. Republication in part or in whole is strictly prohibited. © All rights reserved Energy Central © 2018

Recent Comments

  • Randy Dutton on Climate Change Optimism: Five Years of Change
  • EngineerPoet on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals
  • BobMeinetz on Closing Nuclear Reactors in Ohio and Pennsylvania Will Thwart Climate Goals

Recent Posts

  • UK Will Legislate Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Target, Says Minister
  • Why EPA’s U-Turn on Auto Efficiency Rules Gives China the Upper Hand
  • U.S. Natural Gas Production and Consumption Increase in Nearly All AEO2018 Cases

Useful Pages

  • Terms of Use
  • Comments Policy
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • Help
  • About and Contact Us
Copyright © 2018 Energy Central. All Rights Reserved
This site uses cookies, for a number of reasons. By continuing to use this website you accept the use of cookies. Find out more.