Despite public pledges by Republicans to roll back regulations involving climate change once they take control of Congress next month, a new poll suggests that they may actually be quite divided on the issue.
A poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Yale University says that half of all Republicans supports the very carbon caps that Republican leadership says is destructive to the economy.
A full six in 10 Americans, including half of Republicans, support regulation of carbon dioxide emissions, which are blamed for a recent warming trend on the Earth that scientists believe will cause sea ice to melt, oceans to rise, droughts to worsen, and violent storms to wreak havoc. Majorities of both parties believe that environmental protections will improve economic growth in the long run, according to an Associated Press report.
The poll runs counter to the picture the congressional Republicans have presented to the American people, which is that they will fight President Barack Obama’s plans to limit carbon emissions tooth and nail.
The Obama administration is pushing forward with new plans on climate change despite the beating it suffered during the midterm elections that will force the president to clash with a Republican-controlled House and Senate for the remainder of his presidency.
A White House spokesman hailed the results as a sign that the American people “know climate change is real, and that we can protect the planet and grow the economy at the same time,” he was quoted in the AP report as saying.
However, the news was not all good for climate change warriors. Global warming finished second to last among environmental concerns, which a GOP pollster pointed out in the report.
Obama plans to make a deal with China soon to reduce greenhouse gases, pledging $3 billion to help poor countries deal with the issue, a move that has riled Republicans.
Republicans and Democrats remain very divided on global warming, even if they both believe that the environment is important. Just a quarter of Republicans believe global warming is a serious problem, versus 64 percent for Democrats. Also, while more than 70 percent of Democrats believe global warming is happening, fewer than half of Republicans believe it.
Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) said Americans care more about jobs and reliable energy than regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency. Inhofe will chair the Senate Environment Committee next year.
