Issue: Environmental/Climate Justice

Stick with familiar terms when messaging about climate change. Overall, this research found that “climate change” and “global warming” were rated as most familiar and most concerning, and “climate justice” the least, with ratings for “climate crisis” and “climate emergency” falling in between. Moreover, this research finds no evidence for “climate crisis” or “climate emergency” eliciting more perceived urgency than “climate change” or “global warming.” Rated willingness to support climate-friendly policies and eat less red meat were less affected by presented terms, but they were lowest for “climate justice.” Although effects of terms on rated familiarity, concern, and perceived urgency varied by political leaning, “climate justice” generally received the lowest ratings on these variables among Democrats, Republicans, and Independent/others. Further analyses found that when terms were unfamiliar, participants were generally less likely to express concern, urgency, policy support, or willingness to eat less red meat.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls – including new polling on extreme weather, environmental justice, water quality, offshore wind, and proposed measures to protect workers from extreme heat.

Workers in clean energy in Texas experience difficult labor conditions. This research finds that many workers across sectors in Texas face dangerous and even deadly working conditions; lack access to benefits like health insurance, workers’ compensation, and retirement plans such as a pension or 401(k); and have experienced pervasive income, wealth, race, and gender inequality. This field study examines the conditions of 1,224 individuals working in utility-scale solar, wind and clean energy manufacturing. Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind production and solar energy installation, with renewable energy accounting for 86% of the state’s planned energy generation through 2030. This growth is in part due to unprecedented funding provided by historic federal climate investments such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).