• 70% of respondents to a recent U.S. survey are aware of the scientific consensus that climate change is largely caused by people, and that the world isn't on track to reach the temperature reduction targets of the Paris climate agreement -- suggesting Americans' understanding of climate change has increased in recent years, and particularly over the last five years.
• Republicans had the lowest share of correct answers, but a slight majority (52%) were aware of both the scientific consensus and the reality that the world hasn't made enough progress toward the Paris targets.
• The poll found some significant demographic differences:
  •  80% of people with college degrees or higher answering the question correctly, compared to 73% of people with some college and 65% of those with a high school degree or less.
  • 77% of urban respondents and 73% of suburban respondents answered the question correctly, compared to 61% of rural respondents.
• The poll found no significant differences by age, income or region of the country.

Survey of 500 Texans in the immediate aftermath of the extreme cold weather and resulting power outages found: 

• Respondents expressed concern about extreme cold (78%), power outages caused by weather events (83%), and access to clean drinking water (76%). Concern spanned community types, and was highest (80%) among rural respondents. 
• 79% say it should be a priority for the U.S. to pass legislation to address climate change
• Majorities across Texas support a wide range of legislative measures to prevent future power outages, including: increasing use of clean energy (77%), improving energy efficiency (92%), increasing existing energy storage capabilities (88%), making power sources more resilient to extreme weater (93%), and modernizing the U.S. power grid more broadly (83%).

• A majority (58%) of Iowa farmers recognize climate change is happening and (at least partially) driven by human activities. 18% understand that it is caused mostly by human activities (vs."more or less equally by natural changes in the environment and human activities") -- an 8 percentage point increase from 2011. 
• A majority of Iowa farmers are "concerned about the potential impacts of climate change on [their] farm operation" (51%); that seed companies should be developing crop varieties adapted to coming changes in weather patterns (64%); and that they should take indiviudal steps to protect their farmland from increased precipitation (58%).
• The University Extension was the most trusted source of information about climate change (as was the case in 2011), with 60% of farmers selecting trust or strongly trust. Scientists and soil and water conservation organizations were both trusted by 50% of respondents, followed closely by farm groups at 47% and family and friends at 46%.

In this webinar, the Lab team is joined by the Regulatory Assistance Project to explore recommendations from the new report Energy Infrastructure: Sources of Inequities and Policy Solutions for Improving Community Health and Wellbeing.

In addition to the report, participants also learn from advocates across the country fighting for an equitable clean energy future. Contributing speakers shared their reflections and lessons learned from a variety of perspectives on what it takes to achieve energy equity, including how they're financing low-income solar, how they're growing solar through state-level policy, and how to work in strong coalition.

Contributing speakers include: Donna Brutkoski, Communications Associate, Regulatory Assistance Project; Yesenia Rivera, Director of Energy Equity and Inclusion, Solar United Neighbors; and Jacqueline Hutchinson, Vice President of Operations, People’s Community Action Corporation.

Washingtonians overwhelmingly see climate change as real, urgent, and requiring strong, comprehensive action. According to new poll results, more than three-quarters of voters believe we cannot rely on Washington, DC to solve climate change, and nearly 70% of voters believe that climate change is a major threat to our health and economy and that we should respond with bold action, AND that the state should join other states to pass comprehensive policy to reduce carbon emissions using the best available science.