Johnson’s Stance on Climate Change Misaligned

TL/DR –

House Speaker Mike Johnson’s stance on climate change contrasts with most of his Louisiana constituents and many fellow Republicans. Despite Louisiana experiencing real-time climate change impacts, and 81 of Johnson’s Republican colleagues forming the Conservative Climate Caucus, Johnson voted against pro-environment legislation in 2022 and received a 100% rating from the American Energy Alliance. His views and voting record align with the oil and gas industry, which is a significant contributor to his political career, but contradict the wishes of most Louisianans, including 74% who support tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles.

Climate Change Stance of House Speaker Mike Johnson and Public Reaction

Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson’s views on climate change align with many Republican lawmakers. However, these views widely differ from those of his Louisiana constituents, Republican voters, and 81 Conservative Climate Caucus members. The League of Conservation Voters reports Johnson has not supported pro-environment legislation in 2022. Additionally, Johnson has received significant funding from the oil and gas industry throughout his political career than from any other sector.

Despite Johnson’s views, Louisiana residents are increasingly affected by climate change. The state experienced its hottest and third driest summer on record last year, resulting in 500 major fires in August alone. Most adults in Louisiana acknowledge climate change’s impact on the weather and express concerns about it.

A significant majority of Louisianans believe that Congress should do more to address climate change. However, when Congress passed its most significant climate legislation to date, the Inflation Reduction Act, Johnson renamed it the “Inflation Expansion Act” and tweeted that it would “send hundreds of billions of tax dollars to green energy slush funds.”

Despite Johnson’s views, the legislation is popular across the country, with 71 percent of American voters supporting it, including 57 percent of liberal and moderate Republicans. However, one of Johnson’s first actions as House Speaker was to pass a bill cutting key parts of the legislation. This is despite the fact that the legislation will bring $1.2 billion in investment and about a thousand new jobs to his home state, thanks to new major clean energy projects. Nationally, the IRA is driving more investment in red states than in blue states.

At a 2017 town hall, Johnson claimed that climate change is due to natural cycles and not because of human actions like driving SUVs. This view is disputed by the majority of climate scientists, and only 28 percent of Americans agree with Johnson’s stance. Moreover, 74 percent of Louisianans support tax rebates for energy-efficient vehicles.

Notably, many Republican voters and members of Congress seek climate action. Twenty-seven percent of Republican voters are alarmed or concerned about climate change. Over the past decade, Republicans have increasingly acknowledged that global warming will harm people in the United States. Irrespective of party lines, the majority of people across the country want a stable climate and support climate solutions. The likelihood of successfully tackling climate change falls drastically with Mike Johnson as the House Speaker given his influence on the legislative process. For a cleaner environment and a brighter future for our children, it’s crucial that our Congressional leaders listen to the will of the people, not special interest groups.

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