This story comes from our partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. For more news and events in Metro Atlanta and Georgia, visit AJC.com.
The next Georgia governor and winner of the high-profile race for the US Senate will face subsequent decisions in the coming years due to climate change.
Although climate change doesn’t rank first in this year’s races, voter polls in Georgia give an accurate view. Half of Georgia’s voters said in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll last month that the nation needs to do more to address it.
A majority also supports the Democrats’ Comprehensive Climate and Medicare Act, which includes $370 billion in climate spending. The law uses a combination of tax breaks and other incentives to promote electric vehicles, solar energy, and battery manufacturing — industries in which Georgia has invested heavily. A large part is devoted to reducing air pollution and enhancing climate resilience in low-income communities.
Republican Governor Brian Kemp rarely utters the words “climate change,” despite his enlistment and adoption of electric car factories, a sprawling solar panel factory and other green technologies as the jobs of the future. Meanwhile, his administration has drawn up long-term plans to help coastal communities prepare for rising sea levels, without the more ambitious efforts seen in neighboring countries.
Kemp has condemned the Democrats’ climate bill as overspending, saying he does not believe “routine government is the answer” to solving climate change.
His Democratic opponent, Stacey Abrams, took a more proactive stance. Abrams spoke candidly about the danger of rising temperatures and promised a pragmatic approach as a conservative with “rigorous planning and targeted investment.” Its platform calls for the appointment of a chief resilience officer in the governor’s office to coordinate policy across agencies, and government funding for infrastructure modernization.
Abrams also proposed new response plans to prepare coastal areas for severe weather. It has embraced the new climate law for its green energy and jobs initiatives and criticized Kemp for being “totally silent” about plans to limit warmer temperatures.
Democratic US Senator Raphael Warnock has made his support for a federal climate bill the focus of his campaign in recent weeks. He also emphasized the enormous impact of climate change and pollution on vulnerable communities. Specifically, it alluded to water and air pollution in black and brown communities—such as the water crises in Jackson, Mississippi and Flint, Michigan—as well as the high energy burden on low-income families that pay a larger portion of the income on utilities.
Warnock’s rival, Republican Herschel Walker, has been dismissive of government spending on climate change mitigation. In July, he made baffling comments about the bad air coming from China. A month later at a campaign event, Walker criticized the Democrats’ climate bill, saying, “A lot of money goes to trees.”
“Don’t we have enough trees here?” Walker said.
The cost of living and threats to democracy and jobs ranked first among voter issues in a recent Commission for American Justice poll. Climate change ranked seventh overall, above abortion and COVID-19 and right behind crime.
But climate change ranked as the No. 3 issue for low-income voters and the No. 4 for voters ages 18 to 29, according to a survey of potential voters conducted by the University of Georgia’s School of Politics and International Affairs.
More than three-quarters of liberal and moderate voters in the AJC poll said there is more the United States should do to combat climate change.
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Joseph Mastro, 62, an independent Houston County politician who responded to the Justice Commission poll, said he has put climate change in his top three issues, but he still sees inflation as his primary concern.
“Unfortunately, when people cannot afford to eat and cannot live…climate change faces an uphill battle,” he said.
Even those working on the climate vote say they realize that many people are more concerned about pocket issues.
Bryant McCorkel, CEO of the Georgia Conservation Voters said.
Some national polls have shown that young conservatives are more concerned about climate change than their older counterparts.
But Andrew Abbott of Georgia Young Republicans said he sees more of a division between urban and rural areas than a generational divide when it comes to how young conservatives view climate change. In addition to expressing concerns about corporate over-regulation, conservatives are concerned about what he described as the left’s self-righteousness on environmental issues.
“I really think it’s a cultural thing,” he said. “If you identify an idea with a certain group of people that you probably don’t like, they are less likely to support that idea.”
However, not all voters fit neatly into one of two political categories.
While many evangelical Christians are drawn to the right by the issue of abortion, the growing “care for creation” movement is emphasizing environmental stewardship based on biblical teachings.
Marcus Cole, community outreach coordinator at Grace Snellville, says Creation Care asks Christians to take a broader view of what it means to be “pro-life.” This means recognizing how pollution and climate change affect the poor and vulnerable, he said.
Cole, who is also the director of church and community engagement at the Nonpartisan Evangelical Environment Network, said.
Cole gathered a few Grace Snellville devotees on a recent weeknight to introduce them to the idea of snacks and coffee.
He said to them: “Meet me in Isaiah 35”.
The passage describes “Joy of the Redeemed” as the return of life to the barren land:
The desert and the barren land rejoice.
The wild rejoices and blooms.
Like saffron, it will explode.
Very rejoice and cheer with joy.
“For me, it shows that God cares about creation and is restoring it,” said Diane Fleming, 68, of Loganville.
Societal efforts based on religion may help depoliticize environmental issues in the long term, former US Fish and Wildlife biologist Fleming said.
Cole said he sees successes with his followers when it comes to increasing energy efficiency and reducing waste from large gatherings.
“There’s a lot of low-hanging fruit,” Cole said, “even if it’s not foreign policy.”
This coverage is supported by a partnership with 1Earth Fund, the Kendeda Fund, and Press Funding Partners.
Originally published at San Jose News Bulletin
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