California

• Californians are most likely to say that the state’s top environmental issue today is water supply and drought. 63% say that the supply of water is a big problem in their region. 40% say they have done a lot to reduce water use in response to the drought.
• 55% say the threat of wildfires is a big problem in their part of the state. An overwhelming majority (78%) say climate change has contributed to the state’s recent wildfires. Most Californians have at least some confidence in the government’s readiness to respond to the wildfires.
• 35% of Californians say air pollution is a big problem in their part of the state. 57% say air pollution is a more serious threat in lower- income areas.

As climate change is perceived (or experienced) to be more proximate, people are more likely to take political action. A survey experiment of Californians found an 11% increase in climate activism (message writing to policymakers) among respondents who were primed with messages emphasizing the temporal and physical proximity of climate vs. the placebo group.

Research findings suggest that climate organizers should: 

• Frame climate change in a way that reduces psychological distance by using the present tense and talking about it as issue that is happening "here and now"
• Avoid overly-negative messages which can de-motivate action by reducing efficacy
• Focus on the concrete actions that will help solve the problem

Using data from the Heatwave Risk Perceptions map, researchers found that:

• Women in California are more worried than men about the risk of extreme heat events; and non-White Hispanic residents are more worried than respondents who identified as “White” or “Other"
• Even though the elderly are more vulnerable to heat, we also found that older populations are the least worried about these threats
• Three times as many Democrats (27%) as Republicans (9%) are “very worried” about the local occurrence of extreme heat waves
• Fewer Hispanic respondents (48%) have central AC compared to White, non-Hispanic respondents (58%). Respondents who are homeowners (59%) are more likely to have central AC than renters (39%).

Key findings of a survey (phone and online) of US voters, with oversamples in key states include:​

• Voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support government investments in clean energy technologies in order to rebuild the economy (77%), create good jobs (76%), and eliminate the carbon emissions that cause climate change (75%). 
• There's a widespread belief (75%) that investing in clean energy technologies will have economic benefits – including for "regular people." 
• And also that by developing new clean technologies, we can replace many of the manufacturing and other blue-collar jobs that the country has lost over the last few decades (72%)
• Strong support for various approaches to boost and develop specific clean energy technologies such as clean steel and cement, clean jet fuels, and energy storage and transmission.
• Voters support investing $75 billion in clean energy tech RD&D as part of the upcoming infrastructure bill.         

Consider using virtual reality to convey the reality of sea-level rise. In three coastal communities, VR simulations of sea-level rise were found to do a better job than conventional maps in helping people visualize projected impacts. Residents familiar with the locations had especially strong emotional reactions to the images shown during the simulations. This study also finds that it is important to involve local residents in the planning and promotion of virtual reality simulations of sea-level rise.             

Analysis outlines a COVID recovery and climate stabilization plan that will serve as a major engine of economic recovery and expanding economic opportunities throughout the state, including a detailed just transition program for workers and communities in California that are currently dependent on the state’s fossil fuel industries for their livelihoods.

Report identifies 10 "best practices" learned from California's clean mobility programs that can serve as a model for other states to replicate and scale, including:

• Emphasize Anti-Racist Solutions, such as undoing racist policies like redlining and highway construction and directing funding toward communities who have been harmed most by systemic racism.
• Prioritize Multi-Sector Approaches that go beyond greenhouse gas and air pollution reduction to consider sustainable land-use patterns, improved active transportation infrastructure (bike lanes, sidewalks), workforce development, and quality jobs.
• Deliver Intentional Benefits such as making direct investments in low-income communities of color by requiring the development of community-driven anti-displacement strategies.
• Build Community Capacity by funding technical assistance and training for under-resourced communities throughout the planning, application, implementation and evaluation of clean mobility programs.
• Be Community-Driven At Every Stage​ by lifting up community-led ideas, sharing decision-making power, and building off existing, community-trusted programs that already have community buy-in and support, instead of creating a brand new programs.
• Establish Paths Toward Wealth-Building by supporting aligned workforce development and training programs (geared toward youth in communities of color), paying living wages, and compensating residents and community-based organizations for their time and expertise when assisting in conducting outreach and engagement. 

A large majority of Californians support existing net metering policy, and broadly oppose a proposal that reduces credits for people who contribute solar power to the electric grid.

• 71% believe the state of California should be doing more to encourage the use of solar power vs. just 14% who say it should be doing less.
• 80% of California voters support net metering (after hearing a neutral description of the policy), vs just 11% who oppose it.
• 64% of voters oppose a proposal to “reduce the credit that people who have rooftop solar receive from their local utility for any extra electricity that their rooftop solar generates and feeds back to the grid.” 
• Keeping energy bills low is a priority for California voters – and they are far more likely to blame rising electricity bills on "utility companies seeking to boost or maintain their profits" (56%) and "managing wildfire risks" (38%) than anything related to solar. 

This interactive webinar covered the process of how this collaboration between environmental justice and labor forces was facilitated, how they built a shared vision around resilience, a rundown of the report's key findings, and a guided activity for how to apply the report's insights to participants' local communities and organizing work.