Memo: Voters Prefer a Standards and Investment Approach to Climate Change
By Ethan Winter Analyst, Data for Progress
Executive Summary
Of three proposed plans to combat climate change, a plurality (44 percent) of voters preferred a “standards and investment” scheme wherein the federal government would set timelines for reducing carbon emissions and then invest money in a bid to meet these standards.
Voters support the creation of a government-chartered infrastructure bank by a 32 percentage point margin.
Voters support a proposal that would require 40 percent of climate and environmental investments to be targeted to low-income communities that are disproportionately impacted by climate change, coronavirus, and pollution by a 14 percentage point margin.
Voters were introduced to three plans to combat climate change. First was a “cap and trade” plan that would place a limit on the amount of carbon that companies could produce each year and then allow companies to trade allowances for carbon dioxide. The second was a “polluter fee” plan that would place a price on carbon emissions and other forms of pollution. The third was a “standards and investment” plan where the government would set timelines for reducing carbon emissions and other toxic pollutants informed by scientists and experts.
