Last month I wrote about the apparent disconnect between what “those who know best” are “selling,” and what the rest of us are wanting to “buy.”
In that piece I concentrated on Germany, and today I would like to focus more specially on the U.S. … “What are the present feelings of Americans concerning Climate Change & EVs?”
From Watts Up With That?:
The Verge reports of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to announce tough new emission standards to force the phase out gasoline-powered cars while boosting the sale of electric vehicles to fulfil the Biden Administration’s climate policy goals. “Up to two thirds” of cars sold are mandated to be EV by 2032. Despite the relentless push for EVs, the working class has little interest. In a recent Gallup poll reported on Wednesday, just 2 percent of non-college respondents say they currently own an electric vehicle and a mere 9 percent say they are “seriously considering” purchasing one. The results are not much better for the population as a whole: just 4 percent own one and 12 percent say they are seriously considering one.
The University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute in collaboration with AP-NORC conducts an annual survey on climate attitudes. This year’s survey finds less, not more, urgency around climate change. The share of those who attribute climate change to humans, as opposed to natural changes in the environment, has fallen from 60 percent in 2018 to 49 percent. And where it matters most, putting one’s money where one’s mouth is, “the share of respondents who would be willing to spend their own money on tackling climate threats has also nosedived” according to the survey results. It would shock today’s privileged luxury believers that just 38 percent of Americans would support a carbon fee of just $1 on their energy bills each month. And that is 14 percentage points less than when they were asked the same question two years ago.
My question is whether or not “those who know best” will ever start paying attention to what the common man thinks and wants? If “those who know best” were a business, they would be forced to listen and pay attention … however, the ears of politicians seemingly only hear what they want to hear!
californiacontrarian
8/8/23