POLL: CALIF WANTS TO MOVE AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

A slim majority of Californians favor taxing individuals. 65% approve if the revenues are used to cut GHGs. The poll found that more Californians approve of a cap-and-trade system and tax incentives to deal with GHGs than are for the tax. The biggest majority favors a broad mix of all 3 types of measures. Business groups favor a cap-and-trade system because it is more flexible.

Why are Californians so gung ho to deal with climate change? Does it have something to do with that strange atmosphere on the Left Coast? Or could it be they see the opportunity to do well by doing good?

Californians support tax on carbon output
Judy Lin, November 9, 2007 (Sacramento Bee)

WHO
1003 Californians polled, The Field Poll (Mark DiCamillo, poll director), non-partisan voter education group Next Ten

WHAT
Although a straight tax on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is generally considered politically out of the question, a majority of Californians support taxing businesses and individuals for the GHGs they produce. A larger majority like a cap-and-trade system more.

Detail of poll findings. (click to enlarge)

WHEN
The survey was taken by The Field Poll August 10 through 28. It was commissioned by Next Ten.

WHERE
The survey was of Californians and was done by telephone.

WHY
- California’s landmark Assembly Bill 32 requires the state to cut GHGs 25% by 2020.
It also has Senate Bill 1, the California Solar Initiative, that incentivizes solar installations with tax rebates.
- 72% favor taxing businesses. Only 53% favor it if the tax increases the cost of goods and services.
- 70% believe global warming is “extremely or very important.” (A poll earlier this year found 52% of the country believes that.)
- 85% of Californians believe the state can cut GHGs while expanding the economy.

Detail of poll findings. (click to enlarge)

QUOTES
- DiCamillo, Field: "Consistently, what comes out of this is that these attitudes and opinions span all geographic areas of the state, as well as demographics and age…Californians see global warming as a threat to their overall quality of life. And when you nail that down, the things they believe have the most serious threats ... are poor air quality, the snow pack and how that affects the state's water supply…Californians are bullish about the future, and many feel it can be a leader…"
- Jason Barbose, Environment California: "If the air is a public resource, then no one has a right to pollute the air…It certainly makes sense to require industries that are putting pollution into the air to pay the cost…You can't just rely on tax credits…They don't guarantee that we get steep reductions in global warming."