If Donald Trump hadn’t dismissed climate change concerns in 2020, he’d likely still be president.
That’s what researchers at University of Colorado Boulder found this month after studying how public opinion on climate change has affected the past two presidential elections.
The finding is surprising since polls show global warming is still rarely the top issue on voters’ minds as they head to the ballot box, with the economy, healthcare, crime and immigration taking precedence. But head researcher Matthew Burgess noted a growing majority of Americans — including most independents and a swath of Republicans — now accept the science on climate and see that it’s starting to sway other “kitchen table” issues they care about, such as the economy and public health.
Perhaps voters also are now using a candidate’s position on climate change as a litmus test of sorts, Burgess said. In the view of people who accept climate science, politicians who deny it either don’t see the clear writing on the wall regarding how global warming is affecting our planet, which Burgess said could make those voters question their judgment on other issues, or they’re pretending to reject the science to cater to conservatives, which could make some voters question their integrity.
Either way, barring an unexpected turn such as Trump changing his tune on global warming, Burgess expects the issue to play an even more pivotal role in boosting votes for President Joe Biden — and potentially other Democrats — this year. If those races are fairly close, he said the climate issue alone could swing results again in Democrats’ favor.
Whether it’s one issue to consider when weighing various candidates or the issue on the table in state and local ballot measures, climate change will be up for a vote in California this year like never before.
And the results of those votes could show just how committed voters are to going green, including whether we’re willing to…
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