The Politics of Sustainability

Political Benefits of Championing 'Green' Policies

   There is a serious issue in politics as it relates to climate change. This issue is that the impending doom we face from climate change is essentially ignored by most politicians. Why is this? Likely because the nature of the danger we face is still regarded as being impending, not present (an untrue assumption). However, research performed by Stanford public opinion expert Jon Krosnick serves to show that staying silent on the issue may in fact be detrimental to a politician's success.
   His research displays that "Democrats who took 'green positions on climate change won much more often than did Democrats who remained silent," and that "Republicans who took 'not-green' positions won less often than Republicans who remained silent." Krosnick's findings imply that it may indeed be politically beneficial to advocate for the issue, and that the American public is finally beginning to give climate change the attention it will require to move toward implementing solutions.