Two publicly funded media outlets, National Public Radio and the PBS NewsHour, sponsored a Marist poll to find out how Republicans feel about an issue the press has decided is urgent -- “climate change.” To their horror, it found Republicans would rather preserve living standards for humans rather than throw their money with the aim of somehow stopping the temperature from rising.
NPR’s response came on Thursday’s Morning Edition news program under the snotty headline “Climate change is settled science. Republicans don't see it that way in new poll.” From the radio report:
LEILA FADEL: July was the hottest month ever recorded on planet Earth.
A MARTÍNEZ: Now, those record high temperatures were fueled by climate change. And scientists say it's only going to get hotter - that is unless leaders of the world's most powerful countries step up to curb emissions, but for the most part, they're not. And in the U.S., a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows that it's largely because one political party is turning away from the climate crisis.
Fadel spoke with NPR senior political editor Domenico Montanaro, and they were both eager to pin the climate crisis blame on Republican failure to wreck the American economy.
FADEL: All right. So let's get to climate change and the party we're talking about, Republicans. What did Republicans we talked to say about the climate crisis?
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Well, we asked people a few questions about climate change, including one that I think is really key for why so little is getting done in Congress to address the problem, and that's exploring this tension between climate change and the economy. Now, climate change is costing the country and the world billions of dollars in disaster funding and preparation. But Republican messaging to their base has been about the potential short-term cost of climate change. So we asked if priority should be given to climate change even at the risk of slowing the economy, or to the economy even if it means ignoring climate change….
Republicans didn’t agree with that left-wing prospect; NPR found that alarming.
MONTANARO: A lot of that could be attributed to the way former President Trump speaks about the climate crisis, you know, the leader of the Republican Party over the last several years. The science is settled. The evidence is clear. But he's downplayed its effects. And we've seen that base that loves him so much seem to really lap up everything he's had to say.
FADEL: But, I mean, like you said, the science is settled. Don't most people see climate change as a major threat, not just to the country, but to the world we live in?
The liberal media's aggressive push for vaccine and mask mandates should have made smug remarks like “the science is settled” embarrassing to utter.
The Friday edition of the NewsHour, hosted by Amna Nawaz, hit similar notes, with a focus on the rhetoric of Republican candidates.
Nawaz: Despite a summer of record-setting heat, new polling shows that Republican voters still don't see a warming planet as a concern….
Reporter William Brangham whined that “out on the campaign trail, Republican candidates are talking about everything but climate change,” before referencing the same PBS/NPR/Marist poll and finding another liberal journalist to wail lamentation:
Lisa Friedman, The New York Times: To talk about climate change remains very difficult for a number of conservative lawmakers, who feel that their constituents are themselves either apathetic or antagonistic to it.
(Friedman had her own hostile take on how Republicans in Congress apathetic response to the so-called climate crisis, which also referenced the deathless Marist poll, on the front page of Saturday’s Times.)
A transcript is available, click “Expand” to read:
NPR
Morning Edition
August 3, 2023
LEILA FADEL: July was the hottest month ever recorded on planet Earth.
A MARTÍNEZ: Now, those record high temperatures were fueled by climate change. And scientists say it's only going to get hotter - that is unless leaders of the world's most powerful countries step up to curb emissions, but for the most part, they're not. And in the U.S., a new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll shows that it's largely because one political party is turning away from the climate crisis.
LEILA FADEL: Joining us now to talk about that and more in this latest survey is NPR senior political editor and correspondent Domenico Montanaro. Hi, Domenico.
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Hey. Thanks for having me.
LEILA FADEL: All right. So let's get to climate change and the party we're talking about, Republicans. What did Republicans we talked to say about the climate crisis?
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Well, we asked people a few questions about climate change, including one that I think is really key for why so little is getting done in Congress to address the problem, and that's exploring this tension between climate change and the economy. Now, climate change is costing the country and the world billions of dollars in disaster funding and preparation. But Republican messaging to their base has been about the potential short-term cost of climate change. So we asked if priority should be given to climate change even at the risk of slowing the economy, or to the economy even if it means ignoring climate change. The results really were eye-opening, I thought. Overall, a majority of people said climate change should be the priority, including a majority of independents. But here's the rub - three-quarters of Republicans said the opposite. In fact, as the days have gotten hotter, Republicans have only increased in feeling this way, up 13 points in the last five years.
LEILA FADEL: Wow.
DOMENICO MONTANARO: A lot of that could be attributed to the way former President Trump speaks about the climate crisis, you know, the leader of the Republican Party over the last several years. The science is settled. The evidence is clear. But he's downplayed its effects. And we've seen that base that loves him so much seem to really lap up everything he's had to say.
LEILA FADEL: But, I mean, like you said, the science is settled. Don't most people see climate change as a major threat not just to the country, but to the world we live in?
DOMENICO MONTANARO: Yeah, I mean, most people do, you know? But only a small minority of Republicans do. And you need Republicans and Democrats to be able to agree on something to get something done. Seventy percent of Republicans in our poll said that climate change is either just a minor threat or no threat at all. Overall, a majority of respondents also said climate change is having a serious impact and having at least some effect on their communities now. But 80% of Republicans said climate change will, in the future, only have a minor impact or, in their communities, none at all. The only potential glimmer for climate change action here is that younger people are more likely to say that they see climate change as a major threat.
