Support for climate justice across Global Warming’s Six Americas

The report analyzes survey data from April 2023 to determine how different segments of the U.S. population perceive the unequal impacts of climate change. It finds that while awareness of the term 'climate justice' is low (34%), support for its goals increases to 53% once those goals are explained. Support is strongest among the 'Alarmed' and 'Concerned' segments, who are also most likely to recognize that climate change disproportionately harms lower-income people and people of color, though few respondents across all groups recognize a disproportionate harm to women.

• Recognition of climate injustice is highest among the 'Alarmed' and 'Concerned' segments of the U.S. population. Specifically, 77% of the Alarmed and 61% of the Concerned believe global warming harms lower-income people more than wealthier people, compared to only 1% of the 'Dismissive' segment.
• There is a significant gap between the awareness of the term 'climate justice' and the support for its goals. While only 34% of U.S. adults have heard of climate justice, 53% support its goals after learning about them. This trend is most pronounced among the Alarmed, where support reaches 88% despite only 49% having heard of the term.
• A majority of the 'Alarmed' segment recognizes the intersection of race and climate change, with 61% stating global warming harms people of color more than white people and 64% attributing this to a history of racist policies.
• Perceptions of gender-based climate injustice are very low across all surveyed groups. Only 13% of all Americans believe global warming harms women more than men, and even within the Alarmed segment, this figure is only 30%.
• Support for climate justice influences voting preferences, with 43% of Americans overall more likely to vote for a candidate who supports climate justice compared to 21% who are less likely. The Alarmed and Concerned show the strongest positive net likelihood (+74 and +48 respectively).

APA

Carman, J., Kioko, L., Ballew, M., Verner, M., Lu, D., Low, J., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., Marlon, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2024). Support for climate justice across Global Warming’s Six Americas. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/support-climate-justice-across-global-warmings-six-americas/

Chicago

Carman, J., L.N. Kioko, M. Ballew, M. Verner, D. Lu, J. Low, S. Rosenthal, et al. Support for climate justice across Global Warming’s Six Americas. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2024. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/support-climate-justice-across-global-warmings-six-americas/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{carman2024support, author = {Carman, J. and Kioko, L.N. and Ballew, M. and Verner, M. and Lu, D. and Low, J. and Rosenthal, S. and Maibach, E. and Kotcher, J. and Marlon, J. and Leiserowitz, A.}, title = {{Support for climate justice across Global Warming’s Six Americas}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/support-climate-justice-across-global-warmings-six-americas/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }