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The percentage of Americans who say the federal government is not acting enough to protect the environment.
70%
The percentage of Democrats who say climate change policies provide benefits for the environment.
71%
The percentage of Republicans who say climate change policies provide benefits for the environment.
30%
Democratic Party
Information from Democrats.org (12)
Beliefs:
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Climate change poses a threat to the economy, national security, and children's health/future.
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Americans deserve security of employment from the clean energy sector.
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Want to protect natural resources, and maintain the quality of air, water, and land for future generations
-
Under Obama:
-
New fuel-economy standards​
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EPA -> regulation of CO2 emissions from coal power plants
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Republican Party
Information from gop.com (11)
Beliefs:
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"Excessive" environmental regulations have cost us billions of dollars, dwindled the production of domestic energy, and destroyed thousands of jobs.
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By lifting "unreasonable" regulations on domestic energy production, we can stimulate our economy and decrease our dependence on foreign oil while still preserving a clean environment for American families.
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The approval of the construction of the Keystone and Dakota Pipelines were major steps in the security of American energy independence.
WHERE DO THEY STAND?
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ
​
NEW YORK REPRESENTATIVE
"We don’t have time to sit on our hands as our planet burns. For young people, climate change is bigger than election or re-election. It’s life or death."
BARACK OBAMA
​
44th U.S. PRESIDENT
"The nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy."
DONALD TRUMP
​
45th U.S. PRESIDENT
"The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."
JAMES INHOFE
​
OKLAHOMA SENATOR
"For the last several minutes I have been talking about natural climate variability over the past 1,000 years. But we can go back even further in history to see dramatic changes in climate that had nothing to do with SUVs or power plants. "
Why does this matter?
Environmental issues are often directly linked to policy instruments that enforce regulations and help mitigate environmental issues. The politicians and policymakers present in our government are the stakeholders, and it is up to the general public to vote or re-elect politicians who have the interests of the general public in mind (including public and environmental health). The challenge for policymakers is to amend and improve policy instruments in order to adapt to changing environmental conditions over time. Poorer voters tend to vote for greener policies because of their individualized stake in clean industries and the effects of pollution and environmental justice issues on low-income communities (McAusland et al.). However, it is up to us as a collective to make a difference by gaining knowledge about our local and national candidates’ platforms. (28)