Tony Leiserowitz, director of the Program in Climate Change Communication at Yale University, said the disconnect between climate change and politics is widespread.
“We find that government officials at all levels of government almost universally grossly underestimate the level of support they have from their constituents,” Leiserowitz said.
“Voters’ Preferences and Priorities”
Further Yale University polling data showed that global warming ranked 19th out of 28 issues considered in deciding on a presidential candidate, ranking highly among Democrats and low among Republicans.
Republicans cited the economy and inflation as their top issues.
“There’s a big gap between voter preferences and priorities, and politicians have limited time, limited funds and the ability to communicate with their constituents,” said Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and president of the Environmental Voter Project.
In California, a state that has generally led the way in environmental laws and regulations, some local officials are wary of making too many sudden changes.
Surprisingly, despite widespread public support for climate action, some Democrats vote against environmental bills.
California Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio said her vote wasn’t climate change denial but reflected the economic realities facing her constituents.
“Not every community is going to be able to implement the policies that we enact,” Rubio said, pointing to the state’s clean-car mandate that bans new gasoline-powered vehicle sales by 2035. Experts have warned that the state may not have the infrastructure to support the transition.
“A lot of times we vote for bills based on our hopes and dreams,” Rubio said.
Jobs are also a key issue: Clean energy jobs now make up more than half of California’s energy workforce, while fossil fuel jobs pay 50 percent more on average due to stronger unionization.
State Sen. Melissa Hurtado, who represents the state’s largest oil-producing region, supports reducing emissions but stresses the need to protect local jobs.
“We have to think about how to keep the economy going and keep people employed,” Furtado said.
New environmental laws inject money and jobs into the economy
California Democrats may feel that some of their climate policies are hurting their constituents, but across the country, climate policies are generating millions of dollars in investment and new jobs in many districts.
This is especially true in conservative districts where every member voted against the inflation control bill.
