Public Resource
How Natural Disasters Can Change A Politician
Politicians who experience climate disasters can become more supportive of climate policy. One research paper found that politicians who experienced climate disasters were more likely to push for climate policies regardless of party. However, a different study that showed abnormal temperature and precipitation trends were correlated with representatives’ environmental votes found that the politicians’ party did matter: Moderate Democrats made the biggest shift toward more environmental-policy support (Republicans did not shift much, nor did more “strident” Democrats, who are already very supportive of climate policy).