Most Americans say climate change is real, but they just don’t want to pay for it: MILLIONS refuse to add even $1 to monthly energy bills to reduce carbon pollution
- American adults are becoming less and less convinced that humanity is causing climate change
- Fewer people are willing to accept higher energy bills to reduce carbon pollution
- Electric vehicles are still too expensive and charging stations are too rare
Americans are becoming less and less convinced that humans are causing climate change, and even less willing to spend as little as $1 on their monthly energy bills to reduce carbon emissions, a study shows.
Polls showed that the proportion of Americans who agree with most scientists that global warming is a reality has remained relatively stable in recent years, currently at 74 percent of respondents.
But the share of those who attribute climate change to humans as opposed to natural environmental changes has dropped from 60 percent in 2018 to 49 percent in the most recent survey.
Meanwhile, the share of respondents who would be willing to spend their own money on tackling climate threats has also fallen.
Only 38 percent of Americans would support a $1 carbon credit on their utility bill each month — that’s 14 percentage points less than when they were asked the same question two years ago.
The share of Americans attributing climate change to humans as opposed to natural environmental changes has dropped from 60 percent in 2018 to 49 percent in the most recent survey
Saul Basri charges his electric car in Boulder, Colorado. Eight out of ten people say that the vehicles are still too expensive and that there are not yet enough charging stations
And that number gets smaller as the potential carbon compensation rises. Only one-fifth of Americans would be willing to pay a $100 carbon tax each month, and more than half of them would deny the charge.
The research from the University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute and the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that the Biden administration is struggling to convince the public to go green.
The government proposed strict new car pollution limits on Wednesday, requiring up to two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the US to be electric by 2032, a nearly tenfold increase over current sales of electric vehicles.
The proposed regulation, unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency, sets exhaust emission limits for model years 2027 through 2032, the strictest ever imposed.
The White House said the regulations would “protect public health” by reducing carbon emissions by nearly 10 billion tons by 2055 and saving consumers an average of $12,000 over the life of vehicles.
But the survey of some 5,400 adults found that the public was not supportive of the move.
Only 8 percent of respondents said they own an electric vehicle. About 41 percent said they were at least somewhat inclined to buy an electric car the next time they bought one.
Still, even then, most wanted an electric vehicle to avoid the cost of gasoline, and eight in ten respondents said the vehicles were still too expensive and there weren’t enough charging stations.
New electric vehicles now cost more than $58,000 on average, according to Kelley Blue Book, a price that is out of reach for many American households.
The average vehicle sold in the US costs just under $46,000.
Tax credits approved under last year’s Inflation Reduction Act are designed to lower electric vehicle prices and attract more buyers.
UN climate panels and most scientists say humanity is causing climate change through emissions of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases, while also destroying ecosystems in other ways.
But the issue has become a frontline in politics between liberals and conservatives, and the share of Americans who believe in manmade climate change has fallen as the science is increasingly questioned.
Americans are largely in favor of turning down the heating to keep their energy bills in check, but don’t want to pay an extra ‘carbon tax’ on their energy bills
The number of Americans willing to spend their own money on tackling climate threats has also fallen
41 percent of respondents said they were at least somewhat inclined to buy an EV the next time they were shopping
Eight out of ten respondents said that electric vehicles are still too expensive and that there are not yet enough charging points