Earth Day 2020 is Wednesday, April 22! This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. On the global holiday’s 50th anniversary, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of climate change deniers.
In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, the percentage of U.S. adults who say global climate change is a major threat has risen from 44% to 60% since 2009. Statista reports, there’s a large chasm between Democrats and Republicans in their increased awareness.
Democrat respondents who say global climate change is a major threat went from 61% in 2009 to 88% in 2020. Republicans who say global climate change is a major threat only increased from 25% to 31% in 11 years. That change isn’t considered statistically significant according to Statista.
Despite increased overall awareness, the politicization of climate change has gotten worse. We are in an era when pretty much all science is under attack by populist leaders. Laws inspired by that first Earth Day are under threat of dismantlement by the current president. Trumpie has criticized climate scientists and downplayed the risks of climate change. Most Republican lawmakers continue to avoid the subject when not parroting the party line that businesses and industries are hobbled by climate-friendly policy and regulations.
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Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.