Most in US worry about global warming — but their votes tell a different story | Researchers say environmental issues are not top of mind for many voters because these days, ‘people have a lot of different worries’
https://floodlightnews.org/most-in-us-worry-about-global-warming/?ref=im-a-reader-newsletter
by silence7
16 comments
Yeah, we know. They’re very worried about eggs.
Yep. Climate change was important enough to worry about, but not important enough to act on.
[https://news.gallup.com/poll/651719/economy-important-issue-2024-presidential-vote.aspx](https://news.gallup.com/poll/651719/economy-important-issue-2024-presidential-vote.aspx)
See where climate change was? #21 out of 22 issues, above only transgender rights in importance. And what’s in the #1 spot? Economy. You know, what people in this community (and others) blame for all of our problems, governments prioritizing economy and growth above having a livable future.
Turns out that having a strong, growing economy is important to the average voter/consumer as well. Because a strong, growing economy means being able to afford eggs, and all of the other things we like.
People’s worries about today will always be more important to them than what happens tomorrow. The whole message of “doom by 2100” significantly undermines the urgency of climate change in the eyes of anyone who is scrambling to feed their family right now. Conversely, people who are comfortable right now are also locked into the present. Giving up that perception of peace and comfort for some unrealized fear isn’t an appealing transition of thought.
This isn’t a bug in the evolutionary system, it’s a feature. If you’re too busy worrying about things that haven’t happened yet, you’ll lose focus on the present… and that lion who is stalking you at this very moment. Or you’ll engage in activities that take you out of a safe space and put you at risk — cause the safe space you have right now is a precious luxury.
Yeah, I’m worried more about the government that is actively doing greater harm to the environment than the environment itself at the moment. Kinda like how a good doctor would address a patient’s bullet wounds before treating their tumor.
Once immediate death is no longer a threat, we can return to treating the chronic illness.
To the extent that many are “worried” about global warming (big congrats to them for finally admitting it exists), now they just deny there is anything we can do about it or say big brain things like the market will figure it out.
The rest of the world doesn’t need em
It’s an “everyone problem” where everyone has decided it’s an “everyone else problem”.
Businesses say it’s consumers for demanding polluting products, while consumers say it’s businesses for making polluting products
Rich people say it’s poor people because they’re the majority, while poor people say it’s rich people for being worse on average
Everyone says they want the government to do something, but protest the minute the government does (see the Yellow Vest protests and how close Canada got to electing a government to repeal their carbon tax)
Then everyone is content to do nothing because no one in the developed world wants to admit that all of us will have to change our lives to deal with this.
The plan is working, and has been working for more than 20 years. Keep people angry, divided and desperate, delaying electrification and the fossil fuel industry’s demise.
It’s no accident that Trump is already cutting oil deals with Putin while throwing Ukraine to him.
Almost zero Americans are willing to give up their cars and suburban sprawl in order to slow global warming. So not too worried.
Republicans mastered the non-issue issues.
Instead of tackling actual issues we are worrying about “illegal” immigrants and trans kids.
Iong time lurker here. Never posted in this community before.
I have a deep love for the planet, but I hold no illusions when it comes to how cost of living and reversing climate change are currently at odds with one another.
Capitalism and a clean healthy environment are also currently on opposite sides of the spectrum. Even when it comes to more renewable sources of energy, which I’m all still for.
I’m pulling hard for fusion and there are major breakthroughs currently happening. There’s also nuclear fuel where uranium is encased in carbon which is the ultimate safe fuel for nuclear reactors.
Things have to change fast, which is not good as change is always opposed, but there also has to be systems put in place to avert cost of living increases.
I believe this is now how climate change is being fought. Through cost of living. Wheather it’s by design or happening organically, less consumption equals less pollution. But it’s going to hurt those who are already hurting the most and will further enrich the wealthy and create even greater imbalance.
All of this comes to a head in politics. We need a leader who will tell the truth and be honest when it comes to the reality of our situation. Some one needs to lay a coherent groundwork to affect actual change that won’t break people. Someone with compassion and who truly is working for the people while also trying to slow climate change.
I don’t know of anyone of that calibre of character who would be willing to enter the public arena given it’s current state.
What it’s come down to, for me, is it even possible for a capitalistic system and a clean environment to even coexist? Especially given global population numbers.
Whatever the case may be, and whichever path is chosen, it will not be easy. And our current political climate is reflecting this reality.
For most Americans, feeding their children is a higher priority than 2 degrees Celsius.
It many people are all that worried look at the roads.
People are stupid
This is news?
>If climate advocates want conservative voters to engage more in global warming issues, she said, “They need to stop talking about distant polar bears and start connecting the issue to real, tangible concerns — like energy affordability, local conservation and disaster resilience.”
I don’t disagree, but I would point that:
1. This is just the classic conservative trope: “I only care when it happens to me”
2. The strategy is vulnerable to privilege and luck. The chaos of climate change isn’t evenly distributed, and being privileged helps to ignore it. That’s long way of saying that the guiding principle of that is: “if it’s not happening to me, it doesn’t exist”, which generates insane denial like the [famous US senator who brought a snowball to a speech to show that global warming isn’t real](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E0a_60PMR8).
3. Denial can work via peer-pressure and tribal/cultural identity. That means that “outsiders” or “low ranking” people are unlikely to make a dent. People believe something (wrong) because their peers and leaders also do that. It’s complicated, but I rely on the COVID-19 pandemic as a good example for these experiences. There are plenty of fools who die believing in dangerous falsities.
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