According to Tony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, this disconnect between climate change and politics is widespread.
“We see at virtually all levels of government that government officials dramatically underestimate the level of support from their own constituents,” Leiserowitz said.
“Voter preferences and voter priorities”
More Yale polls found that global warming ranked 19th out of 28 issues cited in determining a presidential candidate, higher among Democratic voters and lower among Republican voters.
Republican voters named the economy and inflation as the two most important issues.
“There’s a huge disconnect between voter preferences and voter priorities. And you know, politicians have limited time and limited money and limited ability to communicate with voters,” said Nathaniel Stinnett, the founder and director of the Environmental Voter Project.
In California, a state that typically leads the way in environmental laws and regulations, some local officials are cautious about pushing through changes too quickly.
Surprisingly, some Democratic lawmakers are voting against environmental legislation despite broad public support for climate action.
California General Assemblymember Blanca Rubio said her votes reflect the financial realities facing her constituents, not climate denial.
“Not every community can afford the policies we’re putting in place,” Rubio said, referring to the state’s clean car regulations, which ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars starting in 2035. Experts warn the state may not have the infrastructure to support the change.
“We often vote on bills based on hopes and dreams,” Rubio said.
Jobs are also a big issue. While clean energy jobs now make up more than half of California’s energy workers, fossil fuel jobs pay an average of 50% more thanks to stronger unions.
Sen. Melissa Hurtado, who represents the state’s largest oil-producing region, supports cutting emissions but emphasizes the need to protect local jobs.
“We have to think about how we can keep our economy going and keep people working,” Hurtado said.
New environmental laws pump money and jobs into the economy
While Democrats in California believe some climate measures are harmful to their constituents, many districts across the country are seeing millions of dollars invested and new jobs created because of climate policies.
This is especially true in conservative congressional districts, where all representatives voted against the Inflation Reduction Act.
