![]() states, and its coal industry directly or indirectly supports about 33,000 jobs. Ohio, just as a reminder, currently ranks 11th in coal production among U.S. Nearly the same percentage of respondents said they were more-not less-likely to support a politician who voted for or otherwise expressed support for renewable energy or energy efficiency legislation. In a survey of 400 Ohioans who self-identify as conservative, two-thirds of respondents said they believe their state needs to diversify its energy portfolio by having at least half of its energy come from renewable sources. An organization with a somewhat eyebrow-raising name, the Ohio Conservative Energy Forum, released the results of a survey last week suggesting that support for renewables is no longer a politically exploitable issue. Among the last group, strong support for a phaseout actually increased by 5 percentage points, whereas the number of Republicans who strongly oppose it fell by 14 points.īut an even more eye-opening poll is making news too. Just as remarkably, this trend seemed to cut across political lines, rising among Democrats, independents, and Republicans. Remarkably, in states with active coal mines, strong support for a phaseout rose even more: by 13 points. In that same one-year period, the number of Americans who oppose a phaseout fell by the same amount. It shows that between 20, the number of Americans who strongly support a coal phaseout increased 11 percentage points, from 18 percent to 29 percent. One of them in particular should strike fear into the hearts of the coal industry’s dead-enders and spark joy in the hearts of the rest of us. Late last year, to commemorate its 10th anniversary of publication, NSEE released a trove of reports that illustrate just how much public opinion has changed on these matters over the past decade. The University of Michigan’s National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) is a biannual survey of public opinion surrounding issues of climate and energy policy, providing perhaps the best snapshot we could ever hope for in regard to how Americans stand on subjects like coal, renewables, climate science, geoengineering, a carbon tax, and a host of other climate-related topics. Both spell trouble for the future of an industry that’s already, by nearly all accounts, on its last legs. One of them looks at attitudes at the national level the other explores them in the historically coal-friendly state of Ohio. Two recently released reports show how public sentiment regarding coal and renewables has shifted dramatically in recent years. energy diet, the best way to do so is to play the culture card: Point to all the people who rely on the coal industry for a regular paycheck and appeal to their sense of history and heritage.īut this last line of defense-“Renewables may be all the rage in San Francisco or Seattle or wherever, but where I come from, the people still love coal and always will”-may not be effective for much longer. ![]() If you’re trying to neutralize the arguments of those who want to see coal phased out of the U.S. Still, lawmakers from coal-producing states and members of the current presidential administration have long attempted to justify their defense of coal on the grounds that it’s more than a fossil fuel: It’s a “ way of life.” This has been a reasonably effective tactic, up to a point. ![]() And when you factor in health care costs, environmental costs, and costs to local communities in the form of reduced tourism and property values, coal is also a real loser economically speaking-especially in relation to natural gas and renewables like wind and solar. Coal is far and away the dirtiest fossil fuel there is in terms of carbon emissions and regular old air pollution (and its messy mining practices certainly aren’t helping its reputation). From a political standpoint, defending coal consumption is harder than ever. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |