On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we're discussing a Tufts University study, which explores the role of young people's concerns about climate change, and how it relates to their readiness for civic participation.
The Environmental Voter Project found that over 12 million environmentalists skipped the 2018 midterms and over eight million environmentalists didn’t vote in the 2020 presidential election. What will it take to get people, especially young people, to vote on climate issues?
We'll then discuss some of the most consequential elections for climate change at the local and state levels. A recent paper by Energy Innovation notes that states will be "central actors" in implementing the Inflation Reduction Act and determining how much emissions will fall.
Guests:
Nathaniel Stinnett, founder and executive director of the Environmental Voter Project
Sara Suzuki, postdoctoral research Fellow The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University
Rebecca Leber, reporter covering climate and energy policy for Vox
Web Resources:
Vote Climate US Pac: Voter's Guide
CIRCLE: Youth Concern About Climate Change Drives Civic Engagement
Vox: The overlooked elections this year with big climate stakes
Vox: How logging, a Nike founder, and the alt-right warped the Oregon governor’s race
The New Republic: These Data Nerds Think They’ve Found the Climate Silver Bullet: Nonvoting Environmentalists