Since cars contribute greatly to pollution, it’s not surprise people of any political background support better gas mileages and reducing carbon pollution.
Natural Resources Defense Council’s poll finds that 95 percent of Americans want automakers to keep improving fuel economy for cars and trucks, including 97 percent of Democrats, 94 percent of Independents, and 93 percent of Republicans. And 79 percent want the government to keep increasing fuel efficiency standards.
NRDC’s poll finds that 78 percent of Americans agree that “state transportation agencies should take vehicle-related carbon pollution and climate change into account when developing transportation plans, and also seek ways to reduce that pollution.” This view is held by 92 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of Independents, and nearly two out of three (64 percent) of Republicans.
Millennials and 18-34 year-olds (both at 88 percent), as well as women and Hispanics (both at 86 percent), are particularly inclined to agree that “state transportation agencies should take vehicle-related carbon pollution and climate change into account when developing transportation plans, and also seek ways to reduce that pollution.”
And 77 percent think that cars and trucks—today there are 260 million on the road in the U.S.—”contribute to the problem of air pollution” a great deal or somewhat. This view is held by 87 percent of Democrats, 78 percent of Independents and 69 percent of Republicans.
Of the top 20 worst polluters, seven states –California, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia—generate more than 40 percent of their carbon pollution from transportation; on a national average, transportation accounts for about one-third of carbon pollution.
Finally, the amount of transportation-related carbon pollution varies by state but generally the most populous states are the biggest polluters.
The top 10 biggest transportation polluting states are: Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, New Jersey, Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina. The top 10 least transportation polluting states are: Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Montana, Maine, Idaho and North Dakota.
Among all of those states, 11 generate more than 40 percent of their total carbon pollution from transportation, suggesting that clean transportation initiatives could have a sizable impact on the key contributor to climate change.
The clean transportation poll was conducted for NRDC by ORC International.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 2 million members and online activists.