The decision to withdraw America from the Paris agreement has placed Trump on the receiving end of both anger and constructive rebellion. What he certainly hasn’t received is any significant displays of support, and this includes the American public.
Before Trump made his decision to pull out of the accord, 71 percent of the public wished to remain in it. Now, post-announcement, it appears that 59 percent of the public oppose the country’s withdrawal, with just 28 percent supporting the action. Somehow, 13 percent had no opinion either way.
Of those opposed, 78 percent felt “strongly” about the decision; of those in support, 64 percent felt “strongly.”
The federal government may boast that it shot itself in the foot in order to protect the American worker and “save” the US economy, but as this new Washington Post-ABC News poll clearly shows, it doesn’t look like the public agrees.
Just 32 percent of participants believed that exiting the Paris agreement will benefit the US economy, whereas 42 percent think it’ll damage it. About 20 percent said that it wouldn’t make a difference either way.
When asked whether or not this decision would help or hurt US leadership in the world, 55 percent opted for the latter. Fifty-one percent of respondents also agreed that it would hurt international efforts to combat climate change.
Opinions, as always, seem to divide strongly along party lines, however. Whereas 82 percent of Democrats oppose the withdrawal (with only 8 percent supporting it), 67 percent of Republicans support the President (with just 25 percent opposed.) 63 percent of those not affiliated with either party oppose the decision to pull out.
Importantly, the general views of the public align with the analyses of the world’s foremost experts on the subject. America’s withdrawal from the Paris agreement will not revive the coal industry, just as it will prevent the country from competing with other countries’ burgeoning renewable energy sectors. It will leave the US internationally isolated, and more vulnerable to climate change disasters.
It appears that Republicans are generally out of step with the reality of the situation – more than 3 in 4 affiliated voters think that the decision will help the US economy, and 73 percent of them think that the jobs created in fossil fuel industries will balance those lost in the clean energy sectors.
It’s not difficult to see why many Republicans are biased in this way. A recent analysis revealed that 40 percent of Trump voters in the last election get their information primarily from Fox News, a site that’s beholden to the more manic wing of the GOP. The GOP, in turn, are disproportionately funded by fossil fuel companies.
We’ll let you do the math.
[H/T: Washington Post]
