It’s no surprise that across America, voters are split on a number of big issues: immigration, taxation, gun control, and the list goes on. But one issue that really separates voters is climate change. The voters disagree on what aspects of current climate change knowledge are fact or fiction and they disagree on what should be done or not done to combat climate change. On an issue as important as climate change and the future of our planet, can we afford to be so divisive?
The study
The Pew Research Center recently surveyed 1500 registered voters and asked them their opinions on climate change and the environment. What Pew discovered is that political differences, such as being a Republican or a Democrat, can significantly affect a voter’s beliefs about the climate. These beliefs go way beyond whether or not climate change is a man-made issue, despite the roaring rhetoric the Republicans have released claiming it’s not, and extend into beliefs on policy, individual responsibility and behavioural changes. Interestingly, Cary Funk, associate director of research at Pew and lead author on the current study, revealed that scientific literacy did not determine a person’s stance on climate issues.
The statistics - where we differ
When asked if they trust scientists to accurately report on the effects of climate change, most liberal Democrats said that they did trust them. Meanwhile, only 15% of conservative Republicans had that same trust. Similarly, when asked if they believed there was broad consensus among climate scientists on the facts of climate change, 55% of liberal Democrats said they did believe compared to only 16% of conservative Republicans. In fact, 97% of publishing climate scientists agree on the fact that man-made global warming is currently occurring.
A popular myth promoted by the Republican party is the global warming gravy train: the belief that scientists are making huge financial gains by publishing research in support of climate change occurring. A staggering 57% of conservative Republicans believe that the current research on climate change is influenced by a scientist’s desire to advance their career. Conversely, only 16% of liberal Democrats feel the same way.
The statistics - where we’re the same
Despite our differences, one fifth of all Americans say they are particularly concerned with helping the environment. 89% of those surveyed were in favor of utilizing solar power and 83% endorsed wind turbine farms. The majority of all voters, regardless of political party, also believe that climate scientists should play a role in crafting political policy on climate change.
36% of voters say they are deeply concerned about the climate. But when Pew looked into who that 36% was, the partisan differences were once again apparent: 72% Democrat and 24% Republican. This 36% of voters are also more likely to agree with current findings in climate science, believe that climate change is a manmade problem and have faith in scientists.
Climate change on the campaign trail
Despite the divisions on climate change, environmental health and carbon emissions among the voters, the topic of climate change has had little attention on the campaign trail. In fact, in the first presidential debate, climate change only received 82 seconds of airtime. According to a 2016 report by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, only 19% of voters say that climate change will influence their votes. The environment is clearly not being given the attention and importance it deserves in this election.
Where the candidates fall on climate change
Despite the lack of attention on climate change by mainstream media, the two presidential front-runners do have vastly different stances on how their work will influence the planet. As her party has shown, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s platform is much more eco-friendly than the Republican platform of her opponent Donald Trump.
Clinton is advocating for more green jobs while Trump wants to boost the fossil fuel economy. Clinton wants to build on the Paris Climate Change Agreement made last December whereas Trump wants to withdraw the United States from the agreement all together. Clinton supports the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while Trump has plans to eliminate the organization. Clinton has made public commitments to conservation and wildlife protection while Trump has offered no stance on the subject.
By just believing that climate change is real and caused by human behaviour, Clinton is already miles ahead of Trump. Increasing her lead, Clinton also supports decreasing exposure to pesticides, chemicals and lead. She has sponsored a health impact bill for environmental health. And she wants to establish a federal Environment and Climate Justice Taskforce.
While it’s clear that the voters are split on a number of issues when it comes to climate change, it is safe to say that everyone wants to live on a planet that sustains life and leave it that way for future generations. Based on the information above, there’s only one candidate who can get us there.