WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, want the United States to take aggressive action to combat climate change - but only a third would support an extra tax of $100 a year to help, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Wednesday.
The results underscore a crucial challenge for Democrats seeking to unseat President Donald Trump in next years election. Many will have to balance their calls for strict environmental regulation with a convincing argument for why the changes are good for taxpayers and the economy.
There isnt any doubt climate change has emerged as an important issue in this election, said G. Terry Madonna, Director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College. But when it comes to how you will pay for it, thats what can make a big difference.
Nearly all the Democratic contenders for the White House have supported the goal of quickly eliminating U.S. carbon emissions by replacing fossil fuels with clean energy. Such ideas aim to tap into a growing sense of urgency about global warming on both sides of the political divide.
Their plans arent cheap. Front-runner Joe Biden, for example, pitched a $1.7 trillion plan to zero-out emissions by 2050 that would be financed in part by repealing Trumps tax cuts. Elizabeth Warren, meanwhile, pitched a $2 trillion plan to be paid for through higher corporate taxes.
Republicans and some labor unions have panned their ideas as a threat to jobs and not feasible in a country that has become the worlds top oil producer.
Americans generally support Democratic calls for urgent action on climate change, according to the poll of more than 3,000 people conducted between June 11 and 14. A majority believe the United States should transition to 100% clean energy within a decade, and that clean energy would on balance create new jobs and growth instead of hurt jobs and the economy.
But the plans quickly lose support when voters sense they come with a personal price tag, such paying extra taxes, higher power bills, or trading in their current vehicle for an electrical one, the poll showed.
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