Here's Where Democrats and Republicans Agree on Climate Change and Energy Production

Climate change has long been portrayed as a partisan issue. While it may be true that Democrats tend to be more concerned than Republicans regarding climate change, that does not mean that Republicans would be against all measures to protect the environment. Republicans may generally tend to be in favor of policies which would be cost effective and/or lead the U.S. to be energy independent. 

The main priorities of Republicans and Democrats differ, and that is not only okay, but necessary to ensure that Americans address blindspots in policy. Here are some climate policies on which majorities in both parties align:

• Only 17% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 16% of liberal Democrats, 7% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 6% of conservative Republicans think that the U.S. government is responding well to the issue of global warming, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.  
• 64% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats expressed support for “Increased emphasis on developing and using alternative energy sources” according to FiveThirtyEight (Center).
• 97% of liberal Democrats, 90% moderate/conservative Democrats, 85% of liberal/moderate Republicans and 53% of conservative Republicans support generating renewable energy (solar and wind) on public land in the United States, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. 
• 97% of liberal Democrats, 92% of moderate/conservative Democrats, 91% of liberal/moderate Republicans, and 64% of conservative Republicans support Providing federal funding to help farmers improve practices to protect and restore the soil so it absorbs more carbon, according to the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. 
• U.S. Senators from both major parties have signed on to legislation that would calculate the emissions intensity of industrial materials produced in the United States, reports E&E News (not rated).
• A bipartisan bill dubbed the “Prove It Act” includes a plan to tax countries with looser environmental standards, such as China, according to the Washington Post (Lean Left). 
• 67% of Republicans under age 30 support the U.S. taking steps to become carbon neutral by 2050, joining 90% of Democrats, according to Pew Research Center (Center) data.

See more examples of common ground on issues where you might not expect to find it:

• Here's Where Democrats and Republicans Agree on Abortion
• Here's Where Democrats and Republicans Agree on Social Media Issues
• Here’s Where Democrats and Republicans Agree on Crime
• Republicans and Democrats Actually Agree on guns

Clare Ashcraft is the Bridging & Bias Assistant at AllSides. She has a Center bias.

This piece was reviewed by Andrew Weinzierl, Bias Research Manager & Data Journalist (Lean Left bias).