Politics & Global Warming

The report finds broad support among US registered voters for international climate agreements, greenhouse gas emission reductions, and the transition to renewable energy. While political divisions exist, majorities across party lines support taxing or regulating pollution, funding renewable energy research, and investing in national infrastructure, particularly roads, bridges, and water systems.

• A significant majority of US registered voters support the United States' participation in the Paris COP21 agreement to limit climate change, with 69% in favor and 13% opposed.
• Two-thirds of registered voters (66%) believe the US should reduce its greenhouse gas emissions regardless of the actions of other countries.
• There is strong public demand for increased action on global warming from both the executive and legislative branches, with 62% wanting President-elect Trump and 63% wanting Congress to do more.
• Voters show broad support for pollution control mechanisms; 78% support taxing, regulating, or using a combination of both to address global warming pollution, and 66% specifically support a revenue-neutral carbon tax.
• A majority of registered voters (70%) support strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants, even if it results in higher electricity costs for consumers and companies.
• If a fossil fuel tax were implemented, voters prioritize using the revenue for clean energy development (81%), infrastructure improvements (79%), assisting displaced coal workers (73%), and paying down the national debt (67%).
• There is high cross-party support for renewable energy policies, including funding research into solar and wind power (82%), providing tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles or solar panels (80%), and generating renewable energy on public land (83%).
• Most registered voters (81%) believe the US should use more renewable energy in the future, with 61% stating this should begin immediately; conversely, 55% believe the US should use less fossil fuel.
• A majority of voters (51%) believe that transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy will improve economic growth and create new jobs, while only 27% believe it will reduce growth and cost jobs.
• The Federal government is viewed as needing to prioritize global warming preparations for public water supplies (76%), agriculture (75%), public health (74%), and the electricity system (71%).
• There is strong bipartisan support (69%) for major government investment in national infrastructure, with the highest priorities being roads, bridges, and highways (94%) and public water supply systems (92%).

APA

Center for Climate Change Communication (2016). Politics & Global Warming. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-November-2016.pdf

Chicago

Center for Climate Change Communication. Politics & Global Warming. 2016. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-November-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for Climate Change Communication |title=Politics & Global Warming |date=November 2016 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-November-2016.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforclimatechangecommunication2016politics, author = {{Center for Climate Change Communication}}, title = {{Politics \& Global Warming}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2016}, month = nov, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Global-Warming-Policy-Politics-November-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }