There is an overwhelming scientific consensus that climate change is not only real, but caused by humans. That fact has been so solidified that even the United Nations stopped hedging on its language in its Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report this year. "It is indisputable that human activities are causing climate change, making extreme climate events including heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and droughts more frequent and severe," the typically staid multinational body said in its sixth IPCC assessment, published earlier this month.
Unfortunately, that clarity is not shared by everyone. Republican voters continue to lag behind the general public in believing the realities of climate change. In 2020, Pew Research found that just 31% of self-identified Republicans believe that climate change is a major threat. Polling earlier this year conducted by Gallup showed the gap between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to climate change is wider than it has ever been. While there is a growing number of young conservatives who believe the climate crisis is real, the fact is that simply isn't going to be enough; a shockingly low 22% of Republicans overall believe that human activity causes climate change.
