Memo: Voters Support a Progressive Climate Innovation Agenda
By Danielle Deiseroth, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Marcela Mulholland, and Jake Higdon
Executive Summary
A majority of all voters (51 percent) support a trillion dollar investment in green technology through the Department of Energy
Voters support investing in clean energy technologies rather than new military weapons by a 68-point margin
A majority of all voters (66 percent) support the federal government investing in the research and development of technologies to benefit communities most impacted by pollution
Democrats have recently put forward a number of proposals to mitigate and adapt to climate change. In June of 2020, the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis published a lengthy report detailing policy recommendations that would transition the United States to a clean energy economy and reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In July, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden committed to zero out emissions from the power sector by 2035 and achieve net-zero emissions across the economy by 2050.
To achieve these ambitious goals, lawmakers need to embrace a progressive innovation agenda, as Arjun Krishnaswami and Jake Higdon argue in their new report, A Progressive Climate Innovation Agenda. In their report, Krishnaswami and Higdon outline a vision of historic federal investments for the research and development of advanced green technologies to decarbonize the United States and support the communities on the frontlines of hazardous pollution and climate impacts.
As part of a July 2020 survey, Data for Progress sought to test attitudes about federal research and development priorities and investments in advanced green technologies to benefit communities most impacted by pollution and climate change.
