This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including a new analysis of Americans’ climate justice attitudes and newly released polling on national parks and wildlife.

HEADLINES

Yale + GMU
Demographics who are most inclined to support climate justice are hearing little about the concept [Article]

National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
Americans across party lines overwhelmingly support measures to better protect wildlife in national parks [Release]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Basic education about climate justice is essential, even and especially in potential “base” communities for the climate justice movement. Yale and GMU find that, while few Americans say that they are familiar with “climate justice,” most Americans support the goals of the climate justice movement when they learn basic information about it. Yale and GMU find that there are particularly large gaps between familiarity with the concept and support for climate justice goals among key constituencies for the movement, including Black and Hispanic Americans. Both of these groups are hearing little about the climate justice movement, but rank among the strongest supporters of its goals after learning about it.
Protections for wildlife and national parks continue to be non-partisan priorities. The NPCA finds that an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of Americans believes that more needs to be done to protect wildlife in national parks. Lands and wildlife continue to be key entry points to engage conservative-leaning audiences on environmental issues, especially as we continue to see growing partisan divides around climate change and energy issues.

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

[Pollution + Wildlife] 92% of Americans support reducing water pollution to better protect marine wildlife [NPCA]
[Pollution + Wildlife] 84% of Americans support strengthening clean air standards to protect nature and wildlife from air pollution [NPCA]
[Pollution + Wildlife] 65% of Americans recognize that single-use plastics are “extremely” or “very” harmful to wildlife in national parks [NPCA]
[Parks + Wildlife] 88% of Americans agree that more needs to be done to support the safeguarding of national park wildlife [NPCA]
[Parks + Wildlife] 86% of Americans support efforts by federal agencies to continue the recovery of threatened and endangered species in national parks [NPCA]
[Parks + Wildlife] 60% of Americans say that the federal government should ensure that new land development next to national parks doesn’t increase the threat to national park wildlife [NPCA]
[Climate Change + Wildlife] 59% of Americans recognize that climate change is “extremely” or “very” harmful to wildlife in national parks [NPCA]