California voters blame climate change and corporate greed for the rise in their home insurance costs, and most support legislation that would enable individuals and insurance companies to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for climate-related damages. The majority of voters in the state (57%), including 37% of Republicans, say that the fossil fuel industry is at least “somewhat” responsible for the recent L.A. wildfires. By a two-to-one margin, Californians support legislation that would allow individuals and insurance companies to hold oil and gas companies responsible for climate-related damages. Californians support this proposed legislation (SB 222) by a 60%-30% margin. The idea earns substantial support from all corners of the California electorate, with 78% of Democrats, 49% of independents, and 42% of Republicans in favor of it.

From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood. What kinds of climate and infrastructure projects have been announced in which communities and across the country? Which ones may now be at risk? Now anyone can use a ZIP code to find out. To understand the stakes of these signature pieces of legislation, Grist developed a tool that combines information across multiple datasets to reveal where more than $300 billion of the funds promised under the two pieces of legislation have been awarded across the United States. Enter a ZIP code, city name, or other location in the search box below to discover projects within any radius of a chosen area.

Voters are twice as likely to say that the government should increase than decrease funding for renewable energy and energy-efficiency programs, and a plurality want to reduce tax breaks for fossil fuel companies. Around seven in ten voters say that they feel favorably about renewable energy and energy efficiency programs (72% favorable / 19% unfavorable), including large majorities of Democrats (89% favorable) and independents (71%) as well as most Republicans (55%). When told that lawmakers are “considering funding levels” for a variety of government programs and investments, voters are more than twice as likely to say that the government should increase funding for renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects (42%) than decrease funding for these projects (18%). Around one-third of voters (32%) say that funding for these projects should be kept at current levels. Even among Republicans, who are less enthusiastic about these projects than Democrats or independents, only about one-third (33%) want to decrease their funding.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling about the Trump administration’s actions so far on energy and the environment and new polling about Elon Musk and his influence in the administration.

Americans do NOT want to pull the plug on clean energy. While people take President Trump’s threat to repeal clean energy policies seriously, they do not want him to follow through. More than three in four (78%) Americans believe Trump when he says he will repeal policies that deal with climate change and will eliminate clean energy in the United States, including 39% who totally believe him. However, a solid majority (57%) say Donald Trump should NOT repeal climate change policies or cut clean energy investments. Opposition spans demographic groups, including majorities of Americans who in live contested CDs (60%) and independents nationally (58%). There is wide opposition to overturning specific climate and clean energy policies. When presented with simple, clear descriptions of Trump’s potential actions and their impacts, majorities of Americans want Congress to OPPOSE each one. Opposition is strong across the board, including more than six in 10 independents and voters in contested congressional districts. People see through President Trump’s energy agenda and recognize that it serves oil and gas CEOs, not them. By nearly 2:1, the public wants Congress to reject President Trump’s energy agenda.

This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including a new edition of Yale and GMU’s long-running “Climate Change in the American Mind” study, new polling about Trump’s early actions on energy and the environment, and new polling about clean energy incentives and federal environmental programs.

Voters have mixed feelings about Trump’s early actions on energy and the environment; while Republicans’ devotion bolsters overall support for these actions, nearly all are deeply underwater with independents. 72% of voters support the Inflation Reduction Act after reading a brief, two-sentence description of it. 70% of voters support taking action to address climate change. By a 52%-38% margin, voters say that the federal government should prioritize clean energy over fossil fuels for new energy projects on public lands.

Most voters continue to say that climate and clean energy should be government priorities. Several specific policy proposals earn bipartisan support, including investing in clean energy, limiting methane, and reducing pollution in the most impacted communities. 76% of voters support strengthening the enforcement of industrial pollution limits in low-income communities and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air and water pollution. 67% of voters oppose drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 74% of voters support setting strict limits on methane emissions from oil and gas production. 71% of voters say that the U.S. should use more renewable energy than it does today. 69% of voters support tax credits or rebates to encourage people to buy electric appliances, such as heat pumps and induction stoves. By a 55%-43% margin, voters say that increasing clean energy production is likely to create more good jobs than increasing fossil fuel production.

Voters are deeply concerned that DOGE will cut environmental cleanup and federal disaster response. Voters have the deepest concerns about cutting Social Security benefits (70% “very concerned”) and health care benefits such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act (65% “very concerned”). Additionally, around half say that they are “very concerned” about possible cuts to federal disaster response and weather monitoring (49%) and to environmental and toxic waste cleanup (49%).

Voters overwhelmingly agree that the government should maintain incentives for clean energy. 66% of voters believe that “the impacts of climate change are being experienced now.” Most Americans interpret extreme weather events as evidence of these climate impacts: around three-quarters (76%) say that it is likely that climate change is driving the increasing number of major weather events over the last decade. Voters support keeping incentives for clean energy by a 61%-18% margin. Additionally, by a 64%-35% margin, voters say that it is better for U.S. energy policy to focus on expanding the use of clean energy such as solar and wind (64%) than to focus on expanding production of fossil fuel such as coal, oil, and gas (35%). This poll also gauged attitudes about two other Inflation Reduction Act policies that both earn commanding support: investments to reduce pollution and improve air quality and clean water in communities with a history of high pollution (76% support), and fees for oil and gas companies that are found to have leaked methane gas pollution into the air (71% support).