Last fall all five of the Republican presidential candidates I heard answer the question, Burgum, Haley, Ramaswamy, Hutchinson, and Christie, stated publicly that humans are the most likely cause of climate change. This represents an evolution from the first Republican debate in August that is in line with voters’ beliefs. So why were there only two questions about climate out of the several dozens of questions asked over five televised Republican debates? There’s high consensus among American voters when it comes to some climate policies, such as building wind and solar on public land, or helping farmers improve practices so that their soils absorb and store more carbon, according to fall 2023 polling reported in “Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy.”

Those same polls showed that more than 50% of Republicans hold some degree of concern about climate change. Among all registered voters, 56% believe that global warming should be a high priority for the president, and 57% prefer candidates who support action on global warming. So why isn’t the Republican Party focused on building real policies that the base, and a majority of voters participating in the general election, can get behind?

Em E. Friedrichs

Durham