By Reed Hundt

Public support is high for programs that address climate change by investing government money in green jobs and energy-efficient infrastructure. The National Climate Bank is a key tool to bring about this investment and accelerate clean energy transition.

As most recently covered in Greentech Media, polls asking the public about green investment proposals including the Green New Deal have met with approval. One Yale survey found that 81% of registered voters either “strongly” or “somewhat” support the plan, including 64% of Republicans.

This may seem very surprising to those who have followed the increasing partisan polarization of change discussions over time. A relevant point lies in how the Yale’s question was posed, which begins:

“Some members of Congress are proposing a ‘Green New Deal’ for the U.S. They say that a Green New Deal will create jobs and strengthen America’s economy by accellerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy.”

The question notably does not prime respondents that the Green New Deal “belongs” to any political party. While the researchers acknowledge that the inclusion of political cues would likely change the responses, the results show that job-creating, money-saving clean energy investment policies like the National Climate Bank have the potential for broad support.

See Greentech Media and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication for more on the results.