David Gergen on Climate Politics and Public Opinion
\u201cThis is turning out exactly the way scientists predicted, with one exception: it\u2019s happening faster than they thought,\u201d says political analyst David Gergen, who served in four presidential administrations. \u201cThe question is what can we do rapidly that would alleviate this and be fair to all.\u201d\n\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of signs that voters, you know, they may not completely agree with the Green New Deal,\u201d says Marianne Lavelle, a reporter with InsideClimate News, \u201cbut they\u2019re not very happy with having politicians who are just not paying attention to climate and just not doing anything.\u201d\nUltimately it is Republican voters who are pushing their legislators to act, since many of them, especially in western states, find their views on energy and conservation at odds with the current administration\u2019s environmental policies.\u201cThe vast majority of western voters say we need to make sure that we protect [public lands] for all Americans,\u201d notes Lori Weigel, a GOP pollster. \u201cIt shouldn't be something where economic value or resource extraction is taking priority over the uses that we\u2019re most familiar with."\nGuests:\nDavid Gergen, Professor of Public Service and Founding Director, Center for Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School\nMarianne Lavelle, Reporter, InsideClimate News \nLori Weigel, Partner, Public Opinion Strategies\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices