Data for Climate Progress 8.27: Conventions Edition
August 24, 2020
Welcome back to the Data for Climate Progress Newsletter, your bi-weekly update on new research, blog posts and memes from the Data for Progress climate team: Julian Brave NoiseCat, Marcela Mulholland and Danielle Deiseroth.
What We’re Watching
We stan #DanielleAtTheDNC.
Last week we tuned into the Democratic National Convention (DNC), where our very own Danielle presented Data for Progress polling to the DNC Environment and Climate Crisis Council (19:10-25:30). Although it was infuriating to see the DNC backtrack on its prior platform commitment to end fossil fuel subsidies, thankfully the Biden campaign quickly reaffirmed its commitment to do so. Throughout the week, we thought the party made a strong pitch on climate.
C h a o t i c
We’re sure you’ve heard, but this week the party of climate chaos, discrimination and wealth hosted a convention too. Trump has made the Green New Deal into one of his preferred punchlines–with little success among voters, according to our research. At the same time, vulnerable Republican Senators are trying to distance themselves from the President’s rhetoric and the party’s tinfoil hat past, in an awkward pivot towards clean energy. While climate hasn’t featured much in the RNC thus far, we’ll be paying close attention to how and if Trump and Republicans talk about the issue and push back on their lies–with data, of course.
No fossil fuel executives and lobbyists in the Biden Admin. Plz.
DFP and a few other organizations, including the Sunrise Movement and Justice Democrats, launched an open letter calling on Biden to bar fossil fuel executives and lobbyists from his administration. According to our polling, young voters say that this commitment would make them more likely to support Biden.
Sign on to support here!
Polling
New Data for Progress polling shows voters trust Biden over Trump to handle major problems facing the nation, including the coronavirus, race relations, and climate change. More than any other issue, we find that voters trust Biden over Trump to handle climate change.
A majority of all voters (60 percent) trust Biden over Trump to handle the problem of climate change
A majority of all voters (51 percent) trust Biden over Trump to take action to solve climate change
Among undecided voters, an overwhelming majority leaning towards voting for Biden (86 percent) trust Biden over Trump to handle climate change
Among voters leaning towards voting for Trump, 42 percent trust Biden to handle climate change, more than any other issue
Sixty-two percent of voters who self-identify as Independents trust Biden over Trump to handle climate change
Bonus: Data for Progress asked voters about Trump’s rollbacks to NEPA, the latest rollback in a series of environmental policy reversals from Trump and his administration. A plurality of voters (49 percent) oppose the rollbacks to NEPA, even when shown arguments in support of the new revisions. You can find the full blog post here.
Policy
New report? Yaaaassss.
Jake Higon and Arjun Krishnaswami just published a report, policy recommendations and polling memo on a Progressive Climate Innovation Agenda. Investments in energy and technological innovation have some bipartisan support that we think could translate into policy momentum in 2021 and beyond. This report provides a framework of principles as well as specific recommendations and data to guide a progressive approach to innovation–something we feel has been lacking in the policy debate thus far.
Where the wind blows. (Hint: it blows toward a Clean Energy future)
Expanding offshore wind production is key to building a clean energy economy. We collaborated with Evergreen Collaborative and Urban Ocean Lab to propose a Plan for Offshore Wind Energy in the US. Our polling shows that voters support the construction of new offshore wind farms by a 48-point margin and doing so would create thousands of new jobs, many of them union.
Cross-Cutting Issues
Climate Chaos in California
The climate-fueled wildfires in California are a horrifying reminder of how the climate crisis is not a far-off threat — it’s affecting people’s lives right now. Some of those most affected include prison inmates who the state deploys to help put out wildfires. These inmates live at the intersection of so many social ills — from our broken and racist criminal justice system, to the climate crisis, to an economic system that exploits their labor for barely any pay, to laws that effectively bar them from becoming firefighters when they’re free. Think of them when you think about who the climate crisis impacts.
Bonus:
Trump and Republicans have seized on the tragic wildfires and rolling blackouts in California to argue that clean energy portends a chaotic future. New polling from Data for Progress shows voters don’t buy it.
Lead Locally
This week we’re introducing a new section that highlights the work of our friends at Lead Locally, who help elect local, progressive, climate champions running for office down ballot across the country. With this section we hope to highlight underreported electoral wins for our movement and amplify exciting new candidates growing the bench for climate justice. Get excited!!
Who to watch:
Environmental justice leader, and Chelsea, MA City Councilor Damali Vidot has big momentum in her effort to unseat Dan Ryan for the 2nd Suffolk State House District on September 1st. She's connecting the dots on environmental justice and COVID-19, and time will tell how this resonates with voters.
In Corpus Christi, TX progressives are mounting a challenge in the City Council, including Sylvia Campos, who ran in 2018 and lost by 420 votes. Last Friday in Corpus, a pipeline exploded, and it killed four workers and left the city in a cloud of smoke. With increased scrutiny on the oil industry and the City Council, we think this race is one to watch.
What we’ve won:
In the recent MN state legislative primaries, two progressive challengers crushed more moderate incumbents, and the Green New Deal and the fight against the Line 3 tar sands pipeline were key issues in both races.
In MN SD 7: Jen McEwen took out the chair of the Senate’s Energy Committee Erik Simonson. Simonson supported the Line 3 pipeline, and held back progressive policy on energy, so this definitely shakes things up.
In MN SD 62: young Somali activist, and DSA member Omar Fateh beat incumbent Mike Hayden. Fateh ran on the Green New Deal, while Hayden got called out on accepting donations from lobbyists affiliated with the Enbridge pipeline developers and other oil companies.
Media Hits
Earthjustice (Marcela personal essay)
Winning the Green New Deal (Julian wrote a chapter)
Biden’s plans & personnel
Rolling Stone (Julian quoted)
Vox (Julian quoted)
The Guardian (DFP mentioned)
Gizmodo (DFP mentioned)
World Oil (DFP mentioned)
The Columbian (DFP mentioned)
Gizmodo (DFP mentioned)
Veepstakes
The Atlantic (Julian quoted)
Time (Julian quoted)
Politico (Julian quoted)
E&E News (Julian quoted)
Politico (Sean quoted)
The New Yorker (Sean quoted)
Boston Globe (DPF mentioned)
The American Prospect (Julian quoted)
Facebook
Report Door (Polling featured)
The Verge (Polling mentioned)
The Verge (Polling featured)
Senate races
Maine Beacon (Polling featured)
Axios (DFP featured)
Huffington Post (DFP featured and Julian quoted)
DNC
Inside Climate News (Polling featured)
Courthouse News Service (Danielle quoted)
The Climate Pod (Danielle featured)
Miscellaneous
The New Republic (National Investment Authority Memo featured)
New York Magazine (DFP mentioned)
Meme of the Fortnight
