This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on polluter accountability and new polls of Black voters and young Americans.

Water pollution is a common concern for Gen Z Americans, and around one-third worry that they will lack clean water and will need to move because of climate change. Majorities of Gen Zers say that they worry “some” or “a great deal” about each of the following: pollution of lakes, rivers and oceans – 72%, including 60% of voting-age Republicans; the health of fish and oceans – 66%, including 59% of voting-age Republicans; the availability of clean drinking water – 57%, including 39% of voting-age Republicans. Additionally, nearly three-quarters of Gen Z Americans (74%) – including 88% of voting-age Democrats and 65% of voting-age Republicans – agree that it’s “very important” to protect oceans, lakes, and rivers from pollution. Around one-third (31%) believe that their generation will “definitely” or “probably” not have enough clean water in the future to live, and 36% are at least “somewhat” concerned that they will have to move from their current town or city because of climate change.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including polling on support for the Inflation Reduction Act, plastic pollution regulation, solar energy policies, and concern about climate impacts.

Providing a better life for future generations is consistently voters’ top rationale for addressing global warming. Preventing extreme weather has also become a more salient reason in recent years. Nearly half of voters (47%) say that providing “a better life for our children and grandchildren” is one of the most important reasons to reduce global warming, more than any other rationale tested in their polling. In Yale and GMU’s polls going back to 2017, providing a better life for future generations has consistently ranked as the top rationale for action among voters overall, among Democrats, and among Republicans. Extreme weather is rising as a rationale for climate action after several historic years of extreme heat and weather disasters. Yale and GMU find that “preventing extreme weather events” (37%) is now tied with “preventing the destruction of most life on the planet” (37%) as the next-most compelling rationale for climate action after “providing a better life for future generations.” Helping to prevent extreme weather has risen in salience over the past several years. Voters are nine points more likely to rate it among the top rationales for climate action now (37%) than they were in 2017 (28%), and it has increased as a rationale among both Democrats and Republicans over that period.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including lots of new polling on climate and the environment as issues in this year’s election, new polling of Latino voters, new polling about conservation in the states that touch the Mississippi River, and new polling about clean energy infrastructure siting in California.

Nearly two-thirds of Latino voters prefer a president who prioritizes climate action over one who prioritizes oil and gas. Latino voters widely agree that extreme weather is becoming worse because of climate change and increasing their utility bills. 83% of Latino voters are concerned about air and water pollution, including 49% who are “very concerned” about it. 78% of Latino voters are concerned about climate change, including 46% who are “very concerned” about it. 65% of Latino voters agree that “we need a president who is committed to addressing climate change and extreme weather and who will make it a key priority of their policy agenda”. 67% of Latino voters agree that extreme weather events are increasing in frequency, and 72% attribute them to climate change.

Here’s how to cast your ballot, in person or by mail, if extreme weather disrupts your life. With just weeks to go until Election Day, Hurricane Helene has destroyed critical infrastructure and displaced thousands in North Carolina and several other states. State and local officials are scrambling to restore basic services. It’s still possible to vote if you live in western North Carolina. If a disaster strikes, the governor can extend voting deadlines, allow ballots to be forwarded to a new address, allow local officials to change or add new polling places, or postpone municipal elections. The U.S. Vote Foundation has a tool to access your county election office’s contact information. In the wake of a disaster, first confirm where you should be voting. Has your polling place been damaged or moved? Was your car damaged in a disaster? Need a ride to the polls? Early in-person voting is a useful option if you’d like to avoid lines on election day or will be out of town. Absentee voting is often called “mail-in voting” or “by-mail voting.” Every state offers this, but some require you to meet certain conditions, like having a valid excuse for why you can’t make it to the polls on election day. This guide describes these voting rules and policies for every state.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new national and swing state polling on the IRA’s tax credits and offshore drilling + new research on the terminology of climate change + new polling in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and South Carolina.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on climate and clean energy issues in the presidential race, extreme weather, nuclear energy, and PFAS.

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.