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This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from this week’s public polls – including new polling on the Build Back Better plan nationally and in key states and new polling on extreme weather events and government action on climate.
 
HEADLINES

Navigator – Voters support the full Build Back Better plan by a roughly two-to-one margin, with intensity clearly on the side of supporters; voters see it as an “urgent” priority when they learn it’s tied to the bipartisan infrastructure bill (Topline)
BlueGreen Alliance – Jobs, water infrastructure, and “made in America” provisions drive support for the Build Back Better plan in AZ, CO, VA, & WV; only half of voters in these key states are hearing about the plan (Release, Deck, AZ Memo, CO Memo, VA Memo, WV Memo)
Quinnipiac – Most Americans say the U.S. isn’t doing enough to address climate change; the Build Back Better plan has majority support even when described as “a spending bill on social programs” (Release)
Monmouth – Nearly two-thirds of Americans support government action to reduce climate change; most see climate change as a major factor in recent western wildfires and eastern floods (Release, Crosstabs)

Organizing and movement building is core to the Lab’s Theory of Change. They are necessary for building the people power we need to meet the magnitude of the climate emergency. Organizing, built as it is on relationships of mutual trust, connection, and support among human beings, is often messy and non-linear and contains more than its fair share of demoralizing setbacks.
Keeping people engaged in the face of emotionally charged loss is a recurring challenge for organizers, especially when it comes after a long-term effort with high stakes. I was thinking about this in the wake of the news last week that Enbridge claims Line 3 is operational. Here are four suggestions for taking on a challenge like this.

Using humor in climate change communication can be persuasive to young audiences. A humorous video about climate change made survey respondents less fearful and more likely to perceive grave risks from climate change. However, humor did not increase intentions to engage in activism. Humor did not have any effect on older than their teens or early twenties. The rest of this resource replicated previous research and found no effects of humor or a threatening video on risk perceptions or intentions to engage in activism.

Certain organizing strategies can allow activists to develop leadership skills in different ways. In Australia, the organization School Strike for Climate (SS4C) has generated more involvement among high school students in the climate movement. SS4C has particularly employed some tactics such as “peer learning, mentoring, learning by doing, confrontation, reflective spaces and training” to allow new high school activists to develop leadership skills. SS4C used movement tactics such as mobilizing, organizing, and lobbying politicians, and these different avenues for involvement also allowed new activists to engage in different ways to develop different skills, and lead others in doing them. These different tactics also have different strengths and weaknesses in facilitating leadership development through their execution.