Since the elections in the United States, there is some doubt on which energy- and climate-route the US government is going to take. We can start guessing but let’s not. Instead let’s look at what US citizens think of energy, climate change and renewables.
Keep in mind that S2NRG developed the Integrated Hybrid Energy platform to combine the energy contained in industrial waste streams, with traditional renewable energy sources (solar, wind, etc) to produce a clean, renewable and reliable source of energy: S2NRG calls this: Industrial Renewable Energy.
A survey conducted by Yale and George Mason University just after the elections, where 86% of the participants were registered voters, had some interesting findings:
- 69% of the registered voters say the U.S. should participate in the international agreement to limit climate change (the Paris COP21 agreement), compared with only 13% who say the U.S. should not.
- A majority of registered voters want President-elect Trump (62%) and Congress (63%) to do more to address global warming.
- A majority of registered voters say corporations and industry should do more to address global warming (72% of all registered voters; 87% of Democrats, 66% of Independents, and 53% of Republicans).
- Nearly eight out of ten registered voters (78%) support taxing global warming pollution, regulating it, or using both approaches, while only one in ten opposes these approaches.
- Seven in ten registered voters (70%) support setting strict carbon dioxide emission limits on existing coal-fired power plants to reduce global warming and improve public health, even if the cost of electricity to consumers and companies would likely increase – a core component of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Democrats (85%), Independents (62%) and Republicans (52%) all support setting strict limits on these emissions.
- Two in three registered voters (66%) support requiring fossil fuel companies to pay a carbon tax and using the money to reduce other taxes (such as income tax) by an equal amount – a plan often referred to as a “revenue neutral carbon tax.” 81% of Democrats, 60% of Independents, and 49% of Republicans support this policy.
- Funding more research into renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power (82% of all registered voters, 90% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 74% of Republicans).
- Regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant (76% of all registered voters, 90% of Democrats, 71% of Independents, and 60% of Republicans).
- Generating renewable energy on public land in the U.S. (83% of all registered voters, 87% of Democrats, 76% of Independents, and 79% of Republicans). Comparatively fewer support drilling or mining fossil fuels on public land (47% of all registered voters, 27% of Democrats, 46% of Independents, and 69% of Republicans).
- Most registered voters think the U.S. should use more renewable energy (81%) and less fossil fuel (55%). Support for using more renewable energy cuts across party lines (it is supported by 85% of Democrats, 78% of Independents, and 76% of Republicans).
As can be seen: there are differences between Republicans and Democrats, but they might not be as big as expected. A large portion of the US thinks that the US government should focus on renewables and S2NRG agrees.
For additional information on what S2NRG, Industrial Renewable Energy and the Intgegrated Hybrid Energy platform click here.
For more findings click here and for the the full report click here.