In 2020, the survey found, 87% of Arizona voters believe the environmental issues facing the state are either “very serious” or “serious,” up from 81% in 2017. Stephen Kilar of the Morrison Institute said the survey demonstrated a striking shift in climate change beliefs. “Nearly 70% of respondents said that the state government has to do more to combat climate change,” Kilar said. “Of that 70%, 45% said that they strongly agree that the state government needs to do more. That is up from 33% just three years ago. “More and more people are wanting action.” But why now? “The climate crisis is here and it is affecting all of us right now,” said Daniela Campos, Climate Power 2020’s spokesperson in Arizona. “This summer, Phoenix hit another historical record of extreme heat, wildfires are still burning in the West, and the Atlantic is dealing with a supercharged hurricane season. “Our country needs bold, transformative, science-based climate action. This is why climate is a critical issue for a majority of voters in Arizona in 2020.” Historically, the topic of climate change hasn’t weighed heavily on the minds of Arizona voters until now, the new survey suggests. Although more white and Hispanic voters have prioritized environmental issues higher in the last few years, some climate activists say marginalized communities that experience the disproportionate effects of climate change have conducted much of the activism for decades. “Not since the Apollo project, I don’t think we’ve ever seen science front and center in a national campaign before,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action, a grassroots network that advocates for the election of scientists to public office. “It is because of the pandemic that we are going through, but it has exposed a lot of things that need to be fixed in our society and, you know, from racial injustice to health inequities.”Arizonans rank protecting the environment in their top three priorities, behind education and health care. Read this @azcentral article to learn what else a recent @MorrisonASU poll revealed about Arizona voters' opinions about the environment.https://t.co/fAU9GnRrSd
— Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust (@pulliamtrust) September 22, 2020
The Morrison-Pulliman survey broke down opinions on the environment by age, political affiliation and race, but only included white and Hispanic to reflect the majority populations in Arizona. Sinobia Aiden, civic engagement chair at the Black African Coalition of ASU, said racial inclusion is critical because climate change more severely affects communities of color. “All things considered, the way that Native American and black people in America vote isn’t necessarily changing this year,” Aiden said. “When we take care of water issues that Native communities are facing, we’re taking care of the world’s water issues. We’re figuring out innovative ways to make water accessible to everyone, every single person on this planet. Environmental justice is racial justice.” For others, including first-time voter Taylor Ens, 24, of California, environmental issues are a relatively new interest. His concern for the climate was low in past years, he said, but now it’s a factor in his choice for president. “Climate change is really important and really scary to me because it’s something that impacts the rest of my life, and the people that are making decisions on it really don’t seem to care that much,” Ens said. Sarah Oven, 19, of Phoenix, another first-time voter, is frustrated with politicians who don’t deliver on promises. “I want to see California actually getting aid for fires. I want to see Maricopa County actually make good on the heat island policies,” Oven said. “Climate change is up on my list because we are running out of time.”The phone survey of 8️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ registered voters was commissioned by the @pulliamtrust. Researchers at @MorrisonASU designed the questionnaire and analyzed the results.
— azcentral environment (@azcenvironment) September 20, 2020
The poll was aimed at gauging public opinion about environmental issues:https://t.co/UzY5DoY4mb
“We are in near extinction,” says Carletta Tilousi, council member from Havasupai Tribe in calling for ban on uranium mining around its homelands in the Grand Canyon. Tribe supports H.R.1373, the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act. #KeepItGrand #HonorTheSacred pic.twitter.com/qcME5ehSMW
— indianz.com (@indianz) June 4, 2019
Biden promised he will have the U.S. “rejoin the Paris accord and make China abide by what they agreed to” in regard to keeping emissions low. He said he plans to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, work with every country on sustainable practices and “stand up to the abuse of power by polluters who disproportionately harm communities of color and low-income communities,” according to his climate plan. “It really has brought into stark relief for a lot of Americans the danger of ignoring science and expertise, which we’ve seen over and over again,” said Naughton of 314 Action. “Ultimately, Americans look to scientists, they look at them as honest brokers, people who will base their conclusions on the facts and evidence. That really is what people are looking for this year.” For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.Here’s how Joe Biden plans to handle some of Donald Trump’s key foreign policy decisions:
— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) October 23, 2020
✅Rejoin the Paris climate change agreement
✅Rejoin the WHO
✅Rejoin the Iran nuclear deal if Tehran comes into compliance
✅Adopt cooler relations with Saudi Arabiahttps://t.co/wi1ElUsObM pic.twitter.com/mfWAE4mOIb
Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News. It is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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