Graphic: Center for Climate Protection
by Alexandra Patel
Millennial voters do not agree on all issues, but one issue on which Millennial conservatives and liberals do see eye to eye is climate change. Climate change is increasingly bridging the Republican-Democrat divide as it moves behind politics and emerges as a human issue.
Why This Matters: Millennials are estimated to become the largest generation to date and thus will have a huge impact on politics in the years to come. Polls demonstrating the shift among both Democrats and Republicans towards greater concern for climate change have even impacted the decisions of Republicans currently in Congress. John Barrasso, a Republican who has historically blocked climate change legislation, introduced a bill this year to promote nuclear energy with a desire to tackle global warming. According to a political consultant, “Denying the basic existence of climate change is no longer a credible position” due to the growing climate awareness among Millennials.
By the Numbers.
- Millennial Republicans are more likely to say global warming is happening, is human-caused, and that most scientists agree it is happening, and are more likely to worry about global warming than older Republicans.
- The gap between Republican and Democratic views on global warming is smaller for Millennials than for older generations
- Nearly half of millennial Republicans say the government is doing too little to “reduce effects of climate change.”
Conservative Environmentalism: As a non-profit organization founded by a group of conservative millennials that is dedicated to empowering conservatives to re-engage with environmental conversations, the American Conservation Coalition is a symbol of the emerging bipartisanship of climate change. Their mission is to alter the narrative on environmental topics that is so often dismissive and disbelieving in many conservative circles. By emphasizing the importance of environmental stewardship in free-enterprise, property rights and having a strong economy, these young conservatives are proving that environmental awareness is not a political issue, but a human one.
June 19, 2019 » bipartisan, climate change, democrats, generations, Millennials, Republicans
