The GREEN DMV Report
May 2010
For African Americans, Climate Change Solutions More Important Than Ever
Contributing Writers: Ralph B. Everett, Esq. and Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis

Now that the successful outcome of the health care reform effort has cleared the decks for Congress and the Obama Administration to focus on other pressing issues, let them move climate change at the top of the agenda.

Advancing global warming solutions would not only enable the President to fulfill another major campaign promise while building upon the momentum he established in the final weeks of the health care debate, but it would also fit nicely with the larger goal of building healthier communities, particularly among the disadvantaged.



And there are strong indications that, just as they were with health care reform, a large portion of African American voters would be right there with him on the effort to reverse climate change.

Recent polling by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies shows that the memory of Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav, and their disproportionate impact on people of color, may still loom large in the minds of African American voters.  The Joint Center’s surveys in four key electoral battleground states – Arkansas, Indiana, Missouri and South Carolina – found that, even with the economy and health care dominating the national agenda, nearly half of black voters view climate change as an issue that will likely influence their vote in the 2010 U.S. Senate elections.

We view this as significant. One would expect that, in times such as this, an overwhelming majority of respondents in the four states would identify economic recovery as their key priority in deciding how to cast their vote – and, indeed, some 80 percent did so in the survey.  Similarly, the high profile of the health care debate over the past year, and the impact its outcome will have on communities of color, would likely make that issue a key priority for African American voters – and it was for 76 percent of those surveyed.

Yet, despite all this, and despite the fact that the global warming issue has not been on the table since the U.S. House of Representatives passed its “cap-and-trade” bill nine months ago, the survey results show global warming will be a decisive issue for 48 percent of African American voters.

The results from this four-state survey are consistent with the Joint Center’s national survey released last fall, in which about half the respondents said they will consider candidates positions on global warming when deciding how to vote.  So the absence of climate change from the legislative agenda in the intervening months has not significantly reduced the number of African Americans who consider it a key priority.       

The recent four-state survey also showed that African Americans generally feel that reducing global warming is something that all levels of government can take measures to address, and that individuals can also have an impact on curbing the effects of climate change. A large percentage of African Americans already practice conservation habits by purchasing energy efficient appliances and by recycling. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that a majority of those polled believe that the U.S. Senate should work quickly to pass legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  

In the four states, between 36 and 49 percent of black voters say global warming is a major problem, and another 25 to 30 percent say it is a moderate problem.  Further, a solid majority were willing to see an increase their own energy bills of up to $120 a year in order to combat climate change, while one-in-three respondents said they would be willing to pay $300 more per year and one-in-six agreed to $600 per year.

The poll comes as the Joint Center and its Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change announce a major push to work with African American communities, business leaders and elected officials across the country, encouraging discussion and knowledge-sharing on global warming over the next several months.

So while health care is done and efforts continue to fix the economy, our advice to our national leaders and candidates for office would be to know how deeply African Americans feel about the need to address climate change and reverse global warming.  Their votes will help make the difference in a number of states and for many this will be a decisive issue.

Note:  Ralph B. Everett, Esq. is President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and The Honorable Rodney Ellis, Texas State Senate serve as co-chairs of the Commission to Engage African Americans on Climate Change. To follow the work of the Joint Center and its Commission, visit http://jcpes.wordpress.com.

Ralph B. Everett is President and CEO of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies in Washington, DC, is one of the nation’s leading research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses primarily on issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color. This year it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Mr. Everett was appointed President and CEO of the Joint Center on January 1, 2007. His visionary plan of action is centered on launching three new Institutes, designed to strengthen the effectiveness and visibility of the Joint Center’s work. They include Institutes on Media and Technology, Civic Engagement and Governance, as well as Education Policy and Opportunity.

A native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, Mr. Everett has a 30-year track record of pioneering leadership in the nation’s capital. After serving as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Ernest Hollings, he was selected in 1982 to be Democratic Staff Director and Minority Chief Counsel for the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. When Senate Democrats won majority control four years later, Mr. Everett was named Staff Director and Chief Counsel of the full committee. There, he played a pivotal role in cable, broadcast and common carrier legislative reforms, as well as regulatory reform of the airline, truck, railway and bus industries.

President Clinton appointed Mr. Everett as U.S. Ambassador to the International Telecommunication Union’s Plenipotentiary Conference in 1998. That year, he was also chosen to lead the U.S. Delegation to the Second World Telecommunication Development Conference in Malta, joining participants from more than 190 nations. In Malta, he was elected Vice Chairman of the world proceedings.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, Mr. Everett earned his J.D. from Duke University Law School. At Duke, he held the honor of being named Earl Warren Legal Scholar.