Issue: Adaptation/Resilience

People in frontline and non-frontline communities in the U.S. are equally worried about global warming (both groups 65%). However, people in frontline communities are slightly more worried about impacts such as extreme heat and power outages.People in frontline communities are less likely to hear about global warming from friends and family or to know about the scientific consensus that global warming is happening. Geographic analysis shows that frontline communities that are most worried about global warming tend to be in the Southwest and Texas, while those that are least worried tend to be in the Appalachians and Ozarks. A new interactive StoryMap explores these differences in more detail.

Extreme weather events like winter storm Fern offer a short window of opportunity when people are seeking information related to climate change. But while most Americans believe we are experiencing more extreme weather, many still don’t see it as driven by climate change. Climate communicators need to help people connect the dots.

Explore how communities can take care of each other’s needs equitably during a changing climate future.

The WaterHub and the Climate Advocacy Lab collaborated on research to investigate audience perceptions of government investment in and responsibility for disaster resilience. Though support was widespread for a government role in disaster resilience, those with the strongest support for a government role were more liberal, and held more progressive values, such as environmentalism and compassion, and believe in government involvement and community-based solutions. A test of four natural defense message frames (Collectivist, Equity, Individual Benefit, Cost Savings) found that they all increased support generally, especially among conservatives. In terms of likelihood to take action, the Collectivist and Equity frames were only effective among non-conservatives, whereas the Individual Benefit and Cost Savings frames were only effective among conservatives.