Even Republican Voters Support Regulating Carbon Pollution

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If you look at the new Congress, conservative sentiment seems overwhelmingly united against climate action—72 percent of the Senate’s Republican caucus reject the science on climate change. But among the voting population, the numbers are slightly more optimistic, according to Yale University polling data released today.

The data combines the results from six different polls conducted over the past three years, and it shows deep divisions within the Republican Party over belief in climate change and support for climate policies. Most interestingly, a majority of Republican voters support the government taking steps to curb carbon dioxide pollution. That’s the very policy that GOP leaders like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and House Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) have vowed to fight this year.

Yale

Despite that call for action, belief that climate change is happening is common only among self-described liberal and moderate Republicans, who together comprise just 30 percent of the party:

Yale

So clearly climate advocates still have their work cut out for them in winning more Republicans over to the overwhelming mainstream scientific consensus on climate change. But at the same time, an all-out war on President Obama’s climate initiatives won’t be a clear-cut win for any but the most right-wing Republican legislators.