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Subnational bipartisanship on climate change: evidence from surveys of local and state policymakers

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  • Nathan R. Lee

    (Rochester Institute Technology)

  • Dominik Stecula

    (Colorado State University)

Abstract

While the US Congress has repeatedly failed to pass the national legislation to address climate change over the years, there has been much more progress among state and local governments. Is this progress on climate change policy at the subnational level merely a reflection of the dominance of the Democratic Party in certain regions of the country, or does it reflect successful bipartisan action? In this essay, we present novel evidence from two surveys of subnational policymakers, conducted in 2015 and 2017, to demonstrate that there is widespread bipartisan agreement among Republican and Democrat policymakers at the subnational level about (1) the existence of global warming and (2) what to do about it. Specifically, a majority in both parties believe global warming is happening and support the use of renewable energy mandates—rather than cap-and-trade, carbon tax, or emissions standards—to address the problem.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathan R. Lee & Dominik Stecula, 2021. "Subnational bipartisanship on climate change: evidence from surveys of local and state policymakers," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 1-12, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:164:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1007_s10584-021-02964-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-021-02964-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Monika Pompeo & Nina Serdarevic, 2021. "Is information enough? The case of Republicans and climate change," Discussion Papers 2021-08, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham.

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