MEMO: Amid Extreme Weather, Voters Say Climate Change is Now a Kitchen Table Issue

MEMORANDUM

To:         Interested Parties

From:   Climate Power

Date:     July 27, 2023

Re:        Amid Extreme Weather, Voters Say Climate Change is Now a Kitchen Table Issue

Today, President Biden is delivering remarks on the actions he and his administration are taking to protect workers and communities from extreme heat and combat the climate crisis. Extreme weather events across the country have brought climate change’s impact to voters’ doorsteps. Interruptions to daily life are no longer hypothetical for Americans who have been forced to seek shelter during extreme heat or storms, keep their children inside because of dangerously dirty air, or deal with skyrocketing insurance costs that are being driven up by climate disasters. 

The planet is currently experiencing what is likely to be the hottest month on record, heat so extreme that scientists say it would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change. The planet has probably not been this hot in more than 120,000 years.

The impact of this extreme heat is not merely theoretical, it’s real life. 

• More than 100 million Americans have routinely been under heat warnings over the past few weeks. 
• Phoenix, where residents are receiving third-degree burns from sidewalks and pavement, will be the first major city in the U.S. to average 100 degrees for an entire month and has seen a record 26 days (and counting) with highs above 115 degrees. 
• In the Southeast, sea surface temperatures of over 100 degrees, which would be a world record, have been observed this week off the coast of Florida. 
• Wildfire smoke from Canada has blanketed large portions of the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic with dangerously unhealthy air throughout the summer.

Likely Voters Say Climate Change is Now a Kitchen Table Issue

Climate change is real, it’s happening today, and it’s now a kitchen table issue for a huge majority of likely voters, including a majority of Republican voters. 

A new Data for Progress and Climate Power poll released yesterday found that two-thirds of voters (67%) say that “the impacts of climate change and extreme weather are kitchen table issues in my household” that they either sometimes or often think and talk about. 

• 1-in-4 voters say they “often” think and talk about climate change and extreme weather events in their households.

81% of Democrats, 62% of independents and 51% of Republicans say that the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events are kitchen table issues in their households.

You can read a full memo on this poll here.

A Quinnipiac poll released last week also found that most Americans view climate change as a real threat, with 67% saying they are concerned about it. This includes: 

• 69% of independents
• 72% of Americans 18-34
• 77% of women
• 84% of Black Americans
• 69% of Hispanic Americans

Similarly, 60% of Americans believe extreme weather events are related to climate change including: 

• 61% of independents
• 71% of Americans 18-34
• 70% of women
• 76% of Black Americans
• 66% of Hispanic Americans 

President Biden and Democrats are Offering Solutions and Delivering Results, Do-Nothing Republicans are Driving Up Costs and Ignoring Voters’ Concerns

President Biden and Democrats’ clean energy plan is delivering real, tangible results across the country. The only way to prevent even more catastrophic climate change from becoming a reality is to speed up the clean energy transition, and that’s exactly what Bidenomics is doing.

According to a new Climate Power report on the clean energy boom, 272 projects, $278 billion in investment and more than 170,600 jobs across 44 states have been announced or moved forward since the Inflation Reduction Act passed just under a year ago. That means new opportunities and new jobs for electricians, mechanics, construction workers, technicians, support staff, and many others in communities across the country. 

The clean energy plan also means relief for consumers who want to power their homes with affordable clean energy. Families are eligible for up to $14,000 in annual rebates on everything from highly-efficient systems to cool or heat their homes, efficient appliances, and other upgrades to lower their energy costs. New or expanded incentives also allow families to choose rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and other clean, cost-lowering alternatives.

Meanwhile, Republicans remain fixated on repealing key provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, which would benefit their Big Oil benefactors by keeping costs high and consumers dependent on dirty and expensive fossil fuels. The Republican climate plan is to simply do nothing and hope for the best. 

In Florida, for example, where homeowners insurance is becoming difficult or impossible to obtain thanks to spiraling costs because of climate disasters, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently told his constituents to “knock on wood” and just hope the state avoids a devastating storm this hurricane season.

At the end of the day, voters want results like lower energy costs and new investments and jobs in their communities. That’s why even MAGA Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have been eager to tout the benefits that the clean energy plan is delivering in their districts or states. If these Republicans want to pull the rug out from under the clean energy plan, they won’t be able to pull the wool over their constituents’ eyes. 

BOTTOM LINE: President Biden and Democrats are delivering tangible results, and do-nothing Republicans continue to ignore kitchen table climate voters at their own political peril.