Majority of US Republicans back climate action post-Paris

Madeleine Cuff
clock

More than half of Republicans questioned in a Reuters poll approve of US efforts to tackle global warming

The majority of US Republicans who had heard of the UN climate deal in Paris said they support US involvement in international efforts to tackle global warming.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos survey of more than 2,000 likely voters published yesterday, 58 per cent of Republicans surveyed said they approve of US efforts to work with other countries to tackle global warming, and 40 per cent said they would back a president that did so.

Meanwhile, 68 per cent said they would be willing to take individual steps to help the environment, such as buying a cleaner car or turning down the thermostat or air conditioning in their home.

The poll's findings come in stark contrast to the opposition to climate action from Republican hopefuls in the race for the party's presidential nomination. One candidate, Texan senator Ted Cruz, promised this week that he would pull out of the Paris Agreement if he was to win the presidency.

"Barack Obama seems to think the SUV parked in your driveway is a bigger threat to national security than radical Islamic terrorists who want to kill us. That's just nutty," according to quotes published in The Washington Post. "These are ideologues, they don't focus on the facts, they won't address the facts, and what they're interest[ed in] instead is more and more government power."

Democrats proved to be more accepting of a candidate committed to fighting climate change. According to the Reuters poll, 91 per cent of Democrats approve of the US taking steps to curb emissions.

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton expressed her strong support for the climate deal earlier this month, and has pledged to continue President Obama's efforts to tackle climate change if she takes office, promising to install 500 million solar panels within her first term.

This article is part of BusinessGreen's Road to Paris hub, hosted in association with PwC.

More on Politics

North Wales is teeming with potential to help the UK reach net zero

North Wales is teeming with potential to help the UK reach net zero

With Labour governments in both Westminster and Wales, there is now a real opportunity to deliver positive, green investment into North Wales, writes Clwyd East MP Becky Gittins

Becky Gittins MP
clock 24 December 2024 • 4 min read
Electric vehicles will drive the UK to net zero – but not without firm commitment

Electric vehicles will drive the UK to net zero – but not without firm commitment

If we want the UK to be a global leader in clean transport and support domestic automotive production, we cannot afford to keep wavering on net zero targets, writes Lib Dem MP Wera Hobhouse

Wera Hobhouse MP
clock 23 December 2024 • 5 min read
Climate change isn't 'woke'

Climate change isn't 'woke'

Donald Trump's victory has triggered fresh calls for a rolling back of climate action, but such arguments are based on lazy and dangerously flawed assumptions - in an end of year essay BusinessGreen editor James Murray asks, what next for the climate...

James Murray
clock 23 December 2024 • 30 min read