SALT LAKE CITY — Most Americans want more renewable energy, but they don’t want to change their lifestyle, a new Pew Research Center survey reports.
A majority of Americans — 63% — support the goal of the U.S. taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050, the survey finds. How they want that to be accomplished is still unclear.
Since 2020, there’s been declining support for wind and solar power options, mostly among Republicans. Before President Joe Biden’s administration, 84% of Republicans said they favored more solar panel farms, opposed to the 64% who do now.
However, Republicans aren’t the only ones with a hand in the results. Democrats are less likely to call climate change a “very big problem” for the U.S. today than they were in 2021. In the last year, Democrats who said they would likely consider an electric vehicle for their next car purchase dropped from 56% to 45%.
“In some cases, gaps between Republicans and Democrats over energy policy now approach the very wide partisan divides seen over the importance of climate change,” the study says.
Ben Abbott, an associate life sciences professor at BYU, doesn’t see environmental policy as a partisan issue.
“If people think that this is a Democrat or Republican kind of thing, the leader in renewable energy is South Dakota,” Abbott said. “This is not an issue of left or right, this is an issue of forward.”
Far and away, renewable energy sources like solar and wind are the cheapest, most sustainable and all-around best option, he said. The U.S. is lagging behind Europe, China and other countries in this area. What’s keeping us back? Loyalties to legacy fossil fuel companies, he said.
Fossil fuel companies are working overtime to convince people that renewable energy options aren’t viable or are a waste of time, Abbott said. In this last legislative session, Utah lawmakers passed SB161, which keeps the state’s largest power plant open past its scheduled retirement year, then updated its deadlines and requirements in a June 19 special session.
“Utah taxpayers are going to pay more for our electricity to prop up fossil fuel companies that are no longer competitive,” Abbott said.
Rep. John Curtis, Utah’s Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate, hopes to bring climate issues back to the middle of the aisle without vilifying fossil fuels. Curtis is the founder of the U.S. House’s Conservative Climate Caucus.
Curtis’ middle ground seems to be the right fit for both parties — more than half of Democrats think fossil fuels should remain in the mix, alongside renewable options, though 45% of Democrats think fossil fuels should be phased out completely.
Younger Republicans are also interested in a middle ground, and are much more likely than older Republicans to support renewable energy options, the survey says.
“I don’t think there’s another Republican in the Senate or House who’s done more for these issues than John Curtis,” Abbott said.
There are lots of ideas about what can be done to help the environment, he says, but all the talk doesn’t necessarily translate to personal action.
Only 25% of Americans say reducing their carbon footprint is “extremely or very important” to them. A previous center survey found similar attitudes — just 23% of those surveyed expected to make major personal sacrifices because of climate change.
Utah taxpayers are going to pay more for our electricity to prop up fossil fuel companies that are no longer competitive.
– Ben Abbott, BYU life sciences professor
Abbott says it’s understandable for people to feel their sustainability efforts aren’t effective. After all, corporations and governments are usually the big pollution culprits, more so than the average person. There’s still a lot individuals can do, though. Changing to a more plant-based diet, taking public transportation or driving an electric vehicle and making simple building upgrades to homes and personal businesses can make a big difference, he said.
Abbott says he often hears people complain they shouldn’t need to care about personal sustainability when others don’t.
“I believe that each one of us is responsible to choose the right, regardless of what the community is doing, regardless of what the state of Utah is doing, regardless of what China is doing,” he said.
The little efforts — and the big efforts from key decision-makers — add up, especially in Utah, where 3,000 to 5,000 people die prematurely each year from fossil fuel air pollution, Abbott said.
“We need to get informed, get organized and then work together to make sure that our political leaders are making the right decisions,” he said.
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