Lauren Lantry, lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
Yesterday, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration is going to new lengths to hide the severity and urgency of the climate crisis from the American public. The U.S. Geological Survey will begin to limit how far into the future it projects the impact of climate change in its reports. Additionally, the next National Climate Assessment (NCA), an interagency report that examines the impact of climate change, will no longer include worst-case scenario projections. At the same time Trump is gutting the NCA’s data, he is creating a new panel staffed by extreme climate deniers in attempts to undermine it entirely.
Despite Trump’s best efforts to hide the gravity of the climate crisis, the American public understands the risks and urgently wants climate action
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A February 2019 ClimateNexus poll found that voters across the political spectrum support government action to address climate change. Almost 70% support climate action, including 69% of independents and 57% of Republicans.
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A November 2018 Monmouth University poll found that more than two-in-three U.S. adults (69%) support the federal government doing more to reduce activities that cause climate change and sea level rise, including 85% of Democrats, 70% of independents, and 51% of Republicans.
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A February 2019 ecoAmerica poll found that 64% of U.S. adults favor a policy to “generate 100% of the nation’s electricity from clean sources, like wind and solar, within the next 10 years,” while just 21% oppose. Support is even higher for a more vague goal to “speed up the transition to clean sources of energy, like wind and solar” (71%).
In response, Sierra Club Senior Director of Federal Lobbying and Advocacy Melinda Pierce released the following statement:
“As Trump ignores the climate crisis and makes abundantly clear the extent he’ll go to undermine climate action, he is deeply underestimating the public’s demand for action. From deadly hurricanes in the southeast, to floods in the midwest, and wildfires and droughts in the west, Americans across the country are demanding climate action because they’re already living with its catastrophic effects. Every step backward Trump takes on climate makes it clearer to the public who is on the side of action and whose policies may lead us to a future of more disasters.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.