Poll shows climate change a concern for American voters

Climate change ranks as one of the key issues in the midterm elections, as more than half of US registered voters say it is one of the most important topics on the ballot.

At least 79 percent of Democrats said that climate change is very important, compared with 46 percent of independents and 27 percent of Republicans, a Washington Post/ABC News poll found.

Democrats, who have controlled both chambers of Congress for two years, have several initiatives to combat climate change and global warming. One of the biggest is the Inflation Reduction Act. It passed in the Senate on Aug 7 and includes $370 billion in incentives for electric cars, pollution reduction and clean energy.

But climate campaigners warn that if power changes hands on Nov 8 as expected, and Republicans take control of the House, Senate or both, climate initiatives could be sidelined.

"If Republicans take control over the House and other key gubernatorial and statehouse positions, we're looking at a point of no return on our economy, on basic rights and on our climate," Thanu Yakupitiyage, communications director of 350 Action, an international organization that mobilizes progressive voters and works to elect politicians who believe in climate rights, told China Daily.

"Money that's been slated for the Inflation Reduction Act is not going to be utilized the way that it needs to be utilized. So that's going to be a big problem," she said.

Republicans cannot overturn the law unless they had enough votes to override a veto by President Joe Biden. But they can stall its rollout.

The midterm elections in the US also will determine governors in 36 states, and that also could affect climate initiatives, depending on the results.

In Wisconsin, Democratic Governor Tony Evers has made climate policy a key focus of his administration since his election in 2018. Tim Michels, his Republican challenger, denies that climate science is real.

In Texas, Democrat Beto O'Rourke is challenging Republican Governor Greg Abbott. Abbott has opposed climate action and has championed oil-friendly legislation like SB13, which bars the state from doing business with any firm that boycotts energy companies.

In Oregon, Democratic Governor Kate Brown backs climate policies, but if Republican candidate Christine Drazan or independent Betsy Johnson is elected governor, it could mean the end of several initiatives.

In New York, voters will get a chance to vote for the proposed Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act. It includes $1.5 billion for climate change management.

"We have three years really to right the ship to avoid a point of no return on climate. So, climate is a key voting issue," Yakupitiyage added.

Over the past decade, the US and the rest of the world have seen an increase in natural disasters. This year, record-breaking natural disasters include Hurricane Ian in Florida, flooding in Kentucky and Missouri, and raging western wildfires.

Between 2010 and 2019, the US experienced 119 climate disasters that each caused damages of $1 billion or more — double the amount in the previous decade, according to Greenpeace.

At least 69 percent of African Americans, 58 percent of Hispanic Americans and 46 percent of white Americans believe that climate change is important, the Post poll found.

Research shows that people of color tend to be impacted by the effects of climate change in their local area, including water pollution and air and environmental hazards, making it a more pressing issue.

Scientists and climate activists warn that a lack of action to reduce emissions and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius could portend disaster.

This summer, Biden described climate change as being "literally, not figuratively, a clear and present danger", in a speech in Somerset, Massachusetts.

"The health of our citizens and our communities is literally at stake," he said.

But as climate campaigners in the US fight to have the use of fossil fuels reduced, American taxpayers are currently paying up to $15 billion in direct federal subsidies to the fossil fuel industry per year — something that Greenpeace and other organizations such as 350 Action want to end.

Additionally, the Securities and Exchange Commission has received opposition from 16 Republican state attorneys general for the agency's proposal to make public companies disclose the risks they face from global warming.

Climate change, however, is of less concern than the economy, abortion, crime and immigration, the Post poll found when it surveyed 1,006 US adults between Sept 18-21.

Yakupitiyage believes that the top issues are intertwined.

"If we want to deal with an economic crisis, you actually have to deal with climate change because of the cost it takes to rebuild from climate disasters," she said. "If we do not do something about the climate crisis, we're looking at tens of billions, like trillions of dollars in repair,  and that will ultimately affect the economy."