Data for Climate Progress 4.20.2021 - Earth Week Edition
What We’re Watching
Green New Deal Act II
Representative Ocasio-Cortez is set to reintroduce the Green New Deal resolution in Congress this week. Two years after the bill’s introduction, Data for Progress polling finds the Green New Deal resolution and its policy planks still enjoy remarkable support across party lines.
Additionally, Senator Sanders and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez have introduced an updated version of their Green New Deal for Public Housing Act. In 2019, DFP partnered with the Socio-Spatial Climate Collaborative and the McHarg Center to analyze the impacts and benefits of the bill. Daniel Aldana Cohen and the Climate + Community Project led research on the updated bill that you can read here.
All eyes on the American Jobs Plan
Biden’s long-anticipated infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan, is the vehicle for federal climate legislation that the climate movement has been preparing for for years. As Julian outlines in this piece, the package does many things right—proposing a Clean Electricity Standard, calling for investments in frontline communities and creating good, union jobs in many sectors of the economy—but it must go further on several fronts if we hope to meet our climate goals and achieve full employment. Much is still unknown about what the final infrastructure bill will look like, so we will be watching closely as negotiations continue and as Biden announces his upcoming American Families Plan. And—of course, we’ll be polling all of it.
Stay tuned for upcoming AJP polling, message testing and policy analysis.
You can see our latest polling on AJP in VOX and on the DFP blog.
Global Climate Summit
This week, Biden will be hosting a Global Climate Summit with international leaders. We'll be watching closely for new commitments from China, India and other nations, which would likely encourage further domestic action.
Our polling with the Asia Society Policy Institute found that a majority of voters want America to take ambitious actions to tackle climate change and lead the world by example.
Policy
Jumpstarting Progressive Climate Innovation
Our latest innovation policy memos by Arjun Krishnaswami and Jake Higdon analyze various prospects of the progressive climate innovation agenda and discuss which priorities are viable under three scenarios: 1) Executive action under existing authority; 2) A jobs and infrastructure investment package like the American Jobs Plan; 3) New authorizing legislation (requiring a filibuster-proof majority).
See new memos here.
Civilian Climate Corps
Our friends at Evergreen Action released a new report on how Biden can tackle the climate crisis and create millions of good jobs by investing in and championing a robust Civilian Climate Corps. If Biden wants to have an FDR-sized presidency, creating a CCC would be a key achievement.
There is momentum on Capitol Hill and in the White House to push the CCC across the finish line: Senator Ed Markey is introducing a CCC bill in Congress this week, and Biden called for $10 billion to support the CCC in his outline for the American Jobs Plan.
Environmental racism in New York
New York State Senator Alessandra Biaggi blogged about why we need bold action to confront environmental racism. She recently introduced S4371B, in the New York State Senate which would require the New York Department of Environmental Conservation to set air quality standards for seven toxic contaminants that are not currently regulated. Our polling shows addressing environmental justice is extremely popular with New Yorkers.
Polling
Voters Support Climate Finance Regulations
With President Biden set to announce a new executive order targeting climate finance regulations, our new polling memo finds that voters across different age groups, education levels, and geographies want the government to rein in the financial industry’s risky investments that are driving climate change.
By a 35-percentage-point margin, voters support the government creating climate risk disclosure rules to ensure big corporations and banks are being held accountable for their contributions to climate change.
The Progressive Climate Innovation Agenda is Really Popular
The American Jobs Plan and FY2022 initial budget request included critical funding for climate and energy innovation, and our new polling finds voters across party lines overwhelmingly back investments to jumpstart climate innovation and have the Department of Energy play a key role in America’s clean energy transition.
Over two-thirds of voters (68 percent) — including a majority of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans — support expanding federal funding for researching and developing new energy technologies to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate industries.
By a 38-percentage-point margin, voters support the Department of Energy updating its mission to reflect climate, clean energy, and environmental justice goals.
Nearly three-quarters of all voters (71 percent) support expanding funding for workforce development programs through the Department of Energy for clean energy jobs.
Read the full polling memo here.
Voters Are Loving the American Jobs Plan
Our new polling in Vox finds that voters across party lines back both the infrastructure and care economy components of the American Jobs Plan.
Among the most popular proposals in the climate and infrastructure parts of the plan are eliminating lead pipes to ensure all Americans have drinking water (74 percent support, 18 percent oppose), investing in the power sector to put America on a path to 100% clean electricity by 2035 (61 percent support, 30 percent oppose), and replacing the U.S. Postal Service fleet with electric vehicles (67 percent support, 22 percent oppose).
Voters Back the Creation of a Civilian Climate Corps
Voters across party lines support the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) that will put Americans to work revitalizing our public lands and waters, and helping communities become more resilient to climate change.
Nearly two-thirds of all voters (65 percent) — including a majority of Democrats (83 percent), a majority of Independents (66 percent), and a plurality of Republicans (44 percent) — support the CCC.
The CCC is especially popular among young voters and rural voters: Over two-thirds of voters under 45 (68 percent) and a majority of rural voters (64 percent) support the proposal.
Half of voters under 45 also say they would consider working in the Civilian Climate Corps.
Cross-cutting issues
Semiconductors
The ongoing semiconductor shortage has had wide-ranging economic impacts across the country. Addressing this shortage is key to ensuring our economy’s long-term resilience and can help revitalize domestic manufacturing. Our new blog lays out how semiconductors and domestic manufacturing fit into a progressive economic vision.
Additionally, our new policy brief on semiconductors provides background as well as policy proposals to take on the semiconductor shortage.
Lead Locally
GND slate
We just launched our second Green New Deal Slate of local climate champions with Lead Locally. To tackle the climate crisis at scale, we need allies and climate champions at every level of government and 2021 gives us a chance to elect climate leaders at the state and local level who can bring about the transformational change we need. A little bit goes a long way in these local races, so we hope you’ll consider supporting these amazing candidates.
Check out the slate here.
Media hits
Climate Legislation
Rolling Stone (Julian featured)
TIME100 Talks (Julian featured)
Axios (DFP mentioned)
Intelligent Living (DFP mentioned)
Bayview (DFP mentioned)
Truthout (DFP mentioned)
Axios (DFP mentioned)
Huffpost (DFP mentioned)
Biden
Canada’s Natural Observer (Julian column)
Vox (DFP mentioned)
Grist (DFP mentioned)
Wired (DFP mentioned)
Salon (DFP mentioned)
E&E News (DFP mentioned)
Mother Jones (DFP mentioned)
Media Matters (DFP mentioned)
E&E News (DFP mentioned)
The New Yorker (Julian Quoted)
Politico (DFP mentioned)
Misc.
The Washington Post: (Julian Quoted)
Open Secrets (Julian Quoted)
Common Dreams (DFP mentioned)
E&E News (Julian mentioned)
Meme