Foreign Policy Matters: Climate and COP28
Majority of Americans Support More Globally Equitable Climate Policies
The 2023 United Nations Climate Conference is now underway in Dubai. Although US President Joe Biden isn’t attending, new Council polling shows his emissaries will have "the public’s support to work with global partners to increase climate ambition and ensure strong environmental outcomes,” writes Research Assistant Lama El Baz.
In the September survey, most Americans said they support providing humanitarian aid (84%) and economic aid (60%) to the countries most impacted by climate change. A majority also favored helping with disaster relief (80%), making investments in climate-resilient infrastructure (59%), and accepting refugees (51%) fleeing from climate crises.
Read the full report.
The Data Dimension
While Americans may agree on some efforts to manage the effects of climate change, they’re not on the same page about the severity of the issue. Half of Democrats (50%) name climate change as the most concerning potential threat to humanity compared to just 9 percent of Republicans, who instead point to nuclear war as their top concern.
What We're Watching
- Changing US views on Israel: While Americans remain more sympathetic to Israelis than Palestinians, recent polling finds attitudes are shifting as the assault on Gaza continues.
- US aid to Ukraine: Senior Fellow Dina Smeltz draws connections between Council survey data and the ongoing congressional debate over continued assistance in an interview with The Hill.
- The global energy transition: Join Invenergy Founder and CEO Michael Polsky and the Council’s Ivo Daalder on Dec. 12 as they unpack the evolving energy landscape and the importance of security, reliability, and affordability moving forward.
Ask an Expert
What might a Western security guarantee with Ukraine look like?
"It would likely fall short of the explicit guarantee enshrined in NATO’s Article 5 to regard an 'armed attack against one as an armed attack against all.’ For example, in the 1950s, the US negotiated several bilateral security agreements with countries in Asia, which stated that in case of an armed attack, 'it would act to meet the common danger’—but left the details unspecified.”
—Council CEO Ivo Daalder in Politico Europe
