Floridians Overwhelmingly Support Climate Change Fix

Contact:
Gerald Karnas, (941) 587-1803
John Wark, (850) 222-1996

(TAMPA, FL – August 8, 2007) — Eight in 10 Florida voters support Gov. Charlie Crist’s efforts to roll back greenhouse gas emissions to year 2000 levels, and almost nine in 10 approve of his plan to require new cars sold in Florida to be more fuel efficient, according to a statewide poll released Wednesday and conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research.

The poll of 625 voters, conducted for Environmental Defense between July 23-25, also found that nine in 10 voters agree with the governor that global warming is not a Republican or Democratic issue. The poll identified high levels of support among Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike for the governor’s actions.

For instance, 71 percent of voters surveyed said they approve of the governor’s proposed capping of emissions from such major greenhouse gas sources as utility plants. When broken down along political party lines, that approval comes from 65 percent of Republicans, 73 percent of Independents and 75 percent of Democrats surveyed.

“This stunning show of support for immediate, common-sense steps to slow global warming should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind about the direction Floridians want to head in,” said Gerald Karnas, director of Environmental Defense’s Florida Climate Change Project.

“Floridians are concerned about the future. They understand what’s at stake, and they want practical solutions,” Karnas added.

Tucker Eskew, a noted conservative political strategist and former deputy assistant to President George W. Bush, said Gov. Crist is at the forefront of an important development.

“More and more conservatives are leading the way toward energy policies that reduce pollution, dependence on foreign oil and funding for terrorists,” he said. “Leading Republicans like Gov. Crist are showing our party and the country that these policies can also increase innovation, competitiveness, and job creation.”

“Republicans who want to see our party win with market-based reforms are closely aligned on these issues with most Floridians and most Americans,” Eskew said. “A new, hopeful voice on climate change, for example, is being heard nationally, and here in Florida Gov. Crist has set a standard that enjoys strong Republican support.”

Eskew pointed to the list of speakers at the Serve to Preserve Florida Summit on Climate Change held in Miami July 12-13 as one indicator that U.S. corporations support the direction Florida is headed. Executives for such corporations as General Electric and the Weyerhauser Company participated in panel discussions while the list of corporate sponsors included Goldman Sachs, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and Enterprise Florida, among others.

Eskew also noted that agricultural interests throughout the country are already pushing for opening markets for commodity trading in carbon credits, a major solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and one strongly advocated by Environmental Defense.

“The results of this poll confirm what I have learned as chairman of the state’s Century Commission,” said St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, referring to the finding that over 70 percent of voters are looking toward cleaner ways to produce energy.

“The need to become energy independent and reduce carbon emissions is our number one recommendation. It is a national security issue, an environmental issue and an economic issue. The alternative energy industry will be one of the top economic drivers of the next 50 years,” said the mayor, whom Gov. Crist has credited with influencing his own thinking on reducing carbon emissions.

Joe McClash, a fifth-term Manatee County commissioner who serves on the Tampa Bay National Estuary Program, said the concern of Floridians is clearly reflected in the poll’s finding that a majority already have changed their driving habits, switched to alternative fuels, purchased a hybrid vehicle or taken steps to reduce energy consumption at home.

“This poll not only confirms that Floridians are ready to support political leaders and office holders like ourselves when we take action to end global warming,” McClash said. “It also tells us that our neighbors and friends are already taking action.”