Poll Shows Latinos Overwhelmingly Support Obama Call For Action on Industrial Carbon Pollution
WASHINGTON
(February 19, 2013) – About three out of four Latinos believe that
climate change is a serious problem and a substantial majority support
President Obama using his authority to reduce its main cause: dangerous
carbon pollution, according to a national poll of 1,218 registered
voters conducted after last week’s State of the Union speech for the
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). The poll included an
oversample of 183 Latinos.
The survey findings are a clear
rejection of the dismissive tone taken by Senator Marco Rubio in his
response to Obama’s State of the Union address. Rubio shrugged off the
need for action on climate change, saying “our government can’t control
the weather.”
Latinos clearly disagree with Rubio, with a strong
majority convinced that action is needed soon to reduce a real threat of
climate disruption.
Released on the heels of the hottest year
ever in the U.S. and one marked by extreme weather, the poll of Latinos
conducted by Public Policy Polling for NRDC found:
* 74 percent
of Latinos believe climate change is a serious or very serious problem, a
higher level than the 65 percent among all American adults.
* 68
percent of Latinos support the president using his authority to reduce
dangerous carbon pollution, including 60 percent of all American adults.
*
69 percent of Latinos agree with the president’s statement that “for
the sake of our children” and our future, we must do more to combat
climate change, compared to 62 percent of all American adults.
Adrianna
Quintero, director of Voces Verdes, said: “These poll findings clearly
show that President Obama speaks for Latinos on climate and clean energy
issues. Latinos do not agree with Sen. Rubio that we should stand by
and do nothing in the face of the ravages of climate change. The best
way to strike back is to reduce the dangerous carbon pollution from our
dirtiest power plants, the single greatest threat to our climate’s
future. Latinos are counting on bold action and leadership– for the sake
of all of America’s children.”
Other key poll findings include the following
* 64 percent of Latinos agreed with Obama’s promise to make addressing climate change a priority in his second term.
* 74 percent of Latinos think that climate change is already a problem or will become a problem in the near future.
*
A clear majority of Latinos (65 percent) agree with the vast majority
of scientists that Superstorm Sandy, drought and wildfire are the
effects of climate change. More than two thirds of Latinos (67 percent)
said the country should do more to address climate change, including 51
percent of independents, while just 14 percent said we’re doing enough
already.
Tom Jensen, director of Public Policy Polling, said:
“This survey certainly debunks any notion that Sen. Rubio is the voice
of Latinos on climate change. What is perhaps most striking in the
findings is that Latinos back President Obama’s climate change and clean
energy agenda even more strongly than it is embraced by the broad
cross-section of American adults. Right across the line, Latinos see
climate change as a serious problem happening right now that requires an
engaged President who takes the initiative to crackdown on industrial
carbon pollution.”
The extreme weather events of 2012, from
record heat waves to large-scale drought, from raging wild fires to
Hurricane Sandy, raised public awareness of climate change and public
support for taking action to address climate change and one of its chief
causes: industrial carbon pollution from power plants.
Last
year, the president started down the road to addressing climate change
by announcing standards for cleaner cars and trucks, and by proposing
carbon pollution limits for new power plants. More than 3.1 million
Americans submitted public comments last year in support of strong
limits on carbon pollution from new power plants. Polling by Small
Business Majority found 87 percent of small business owners supported
adopting stronger fuel standards, and by a 3:1 margin, small business
owners across the nation support the EPA regulating carbon emissions
that cause climate change.
Today, the hundreds of power plants
across the country have no restrictions on the carbon pollution they
emit into the atmosphere. NRDC has offered one way for President Obama
to use his authority to significantly cut carbon pollution by 26 percent
by the end of this decade.
The low-cost, high-benefit plan
would create thousands of clean energy jobs making homes and buildings
more energy efficient while protecting people from asthma attacks and
heart ailments and saving families as much as $700 a year in
electricity bills. More information about this plan can be found
http://www.nrdc.org/air/pollution-standards/.
The overall NRDC poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.8%
