Resources

Search below for resources covering the intersection of climate engagement, social science and data analytics.

RESULTS

Implementing the Portland Clean Energy Fund: Challenges and Opportunities

Climate Advocacy Lab with Portland Clean Energy Fund
Research & Articles
05-15-2021

In 2018, the Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) campaign secured a landslide ballot measure victory in Portland, establishing a multi-million dollar municipal fund that addresses climate, economic, and racial justice by providing funding for renewable energy projects, job training and apprenticeship programs, and regenerative agriculture. Last year, we got to look “under the hood” with PCEF Steering Committee members to cover the history of the campaign, what PCEF does, and how the community-led coalition was able to win at the ballot box. 

In a follow-up webinar, we came back together to share new developments on the victory and cover topics including:

  • How has PCEF been implemented, and how is it helping the community build political power? 
  • What lessons have been learned since winning the legislation, and what challenges and insights does that bring? 
  • What would it take to replicate this winning model in your own context and municipality?

Voters Want Economic Relief--Now

Morgan Sperry, Ethan Winter. Data for Progress.
Research & Articles
05-09-2021

Recognize the public appetite for more economic help from the federal government. This April 2021 survey reveals that a majority of likely voters want Congress to pass another economic relief bill, in addition to the $1.9 trillion bill approved in March. Support runs across party lines, with people under 45 and voters of color most heavily in favor. Support holds true no matter the price tag, aside from self-identified Republicans being evenly divided over the notion of a $10 trillion bill.             

Research & Articles
04-14-2021

A  statewide survey to assess the attitudes of likely Texas voters (including an oversample of Latino voters) toward climate change, pollution, and transitioning to clean energy revealed key insights, including:

  • Across party lines, voters are overwhelmingly concerned (85%) about air and water pollution.
  • 67% are concerned about climate change, with Latino (82%) and Black (80%) voters expressing the highest levels of concern.
  • Voters also agree (61%) that there is still time to come together as a state and country to take the actions that are necessary to address climate change and leave a better world for generations to come. Agreement is highest (72%) among Latino voters.
  • A strong majority (59%) also would like to see their leaders support clean energy industries to reduce carbon emissions and ensure Texas remains America’s energy leader, with support highest among Black (77%) and Latino (66%) voters.
  • A message that resonates across party lines is that Texas can face tough problems and can leverage its status as a national and global energy leader to become a champion of a new global energy economy.
  • 83% agree that Texas should make sure no oil and gas workers are left behind as America transitions away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy. 
  • A majority also think it is “Very important” or “Somewhat important” to include proposals for job training (89% important), new jobs in clean energy (87% important), pensions for retired workers (85% important), financial assistance for new degrees or trade certifications (83%), and buyouts for workers within five years of retirement (78%) in this transition bill.
  • Texas voters also support closing the revolving door of government officials becoming lobbyists for the fossil fuel industry, with a majority of Texans across parties (52%) supporting a proposal that would prevent former lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for the oil and gas industry immediately after leaving office. 

Research & Articles
03-31-2021

Increasing accessibility, affordability, and reliability of public transit is imperative for BIPOC, low-income people, those living in rural areas, seniors, youth, and people with disabilities. COVID-19 exacerbated transportation inaccessibility because of limited routes and slashed service times. It also posed significant threats to transit workers who were not given adequate protection. Transit agencies must have safeguards in place to combat the negative effects of future pandemics as well as climate change. Such policies include better sick and family leave policies for transit drivers and electrification of the transportation sector to meet climate goals.             

  • Other measures aimed at combating climate change or transitioning away from fossil fuels also have majority backing, including expanding the country’s electric vehicle charging network (59%) and taking other steps to electrify the transportation sector (52%).
  • Increasing housing options for low-income families garners the support of 70% of registered voters, including 87% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans. 
  • Millennials are at least 10 points more likely to back all of the proposed educational measures, such as free tuition at historically Black colleges and universities, a measure supported by 38% of all voters.

Resilience Before Disaster: The Need to Build Equitable, Community-Driven Social Infrastructure

Zach Lou, Amee Raval, Marguerite Young & Sam Appel for Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), SEIU California, SEIU 2015 & BlueGreen Alliance
Research & Articles
12-21-2020

California and the US are increasingly beset by climate-fueled disasters like wildfires, extreme heat, and power blackouts. These events put additional stress on frayed hard and social infrastructure systems, and disproportionately impact working-class communities of color. To adapt to these changes, society must update our notion of disaster response to increase resilience in these systems before disasters strike. This report offers two models for this response: 1) building and normalizing resilience hubs where community members gather and organize both in good times and bad, and 2) increasing in-home resilience by recognizing homecare workers as effective agents for assisting vulnerable populations and bridging authorities and the frontlines. The report goes on to recommend specific ways to set up resilience hubs, train care workers, and develop forward-thinking emergency response plans to avert human disasters after natural disasters.

Fueling the Fire: Why Any Fossil Fuel Industry Bailout Will be Disastrous for Communities of Color

Dieynabou Barry, Parthership for Working Families; Robert Gailbraith, Public Accountability Project/Little Sis, Derek Seidman, Public Accountability Project/Little Sis, Ericka Thi Patterson, Action Center on Race & the Economy
Research & Articles
12-17-2020

This report looks at the intersection of pollution from refining and burning fossil fuels, repiratory diseases caused or exacerbated by this pollution, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and race and racial inequality in the United States. It makes the case that the CARES Act constitutes a bailout of the dirty energy sector that spent more to prop-up the fossil fuel industry than it did on health care supplies and investments, even as this industry contributes to the adverse health outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic in communities of color. The report's key findings also link large financial sector players like big banks, asset management companies, private equity and insurance companies to the chain of carbon and chemical emissions that have disproprotionately negative impacts on communities of color and low-income communities.            

Research & Articles
12-11-2020

This report examines shifts in climate opinion across demographic groups, based on responses to surveys in 2016, 2017, and 2019. Key findings include:

  • The electorate increasingly and indiscriminately sees climate change as an important issue, with consensus growing consistently across demographic groups.
  • Black and Asian American respondents both overwhelmingly viewed climate change as important at significantly higher levels than in 2016.
  • One of the most prominent shifts in opinion on climate change occurred among Independent voters, with a margin widening from 11 to 25 percentage points.
  • Generally, opinions on climate change were similar and increased at a similar pace across demographic groups separated by education level.

Beyond Demography: Black Audiences Online

Win Black/Pa'lante, A/B, and Harmony Labs
Research & Articles
11-11-2020

This resource looks at where Black audiences are when they are online and how they act when they get there. This goes beyond reliance on polls and surveys to create a more complete picture of the culture people are consuming, creating and being inspired by. Key takeaways include the identification of five distinct Black audiences: Strivers, Planners, Learners, Gamers, and Bootstrapers, along with the most popular platforms (Google and YouTube) and the fact that most Black people are getting COVID news from mainstream and left-leaning outlets on their desktops.          

Poll: Black Detroiters See High Potential for Job Growth in Clean Energy

Morning Consult for WE ACT for Environmental Justice & Environmental Defense Fund
Research & Articles
10-27-2020

Survey of Detroit adults sought to measure concern for and perception of the impacts of climate change and other environmental threats like pollution, flooding, and storms, how these threats impact different racial/ethnic groups, and how adults’ views on these issues vary by race and ethnicity.