Wildfires make Democrats but not Republicans more likely to vote for climate policy
Based on Chad Hazlett and Matto Mildenberger. 2020. “Wildfire exposure increases pro-environment voting within Democratic but not Republican areas.” American Political Science Review 114(4): 1359-1365.
Experiencing the impacts of climate change increases support for climate policy at the ballot box – but only among voters who already accept climate science.
The Policy Problem
Climate change has long been viewed by Americans as a distant threat for future generations or people in other parts of the world. But the impacts of climate change have arrived. Every year, more and more Americans experience intensifying climate disasters, from extreme storms to wildfires. Will these direct experiences with climate change break the climate politics logjam that has stalled policymaking for the past three decades?
Key Findings and Proposed Solutions
Wildfire exposure increases voting for costly climate and energy policies by 5 to 6 percentage points
Effect is concentrated in the most Democratic parts of California
Experiencing climate change enhances willingness-to-act but only in places where voters already accept climate science