Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Blacks vs. Cap and Trade   [Kathryn Jean Lopez]

A new study from the the National Center for Public Policy Research "shows an overwhelming majority of African Americans are opposed to the [cap-and-trade] bill based on the potential impact on the economy and minority households."

Key findings include:

* 76 percent of African American adults believe that securing America’s economic recovery should be the top priority, even if it means delaying action in climate change.

* 56 percent of African American adults think our federal and state policy makers fail to adequately take into account economic and quality of life concerns when considering new anti-global warming laws.

* When asked if the federal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could increase unemployment, 38 percent of survey respondents said they felt African Americans would proportionately lose more jobs while 49 percent felt that federal action to reduce greenhouse gas emission would hit all races equally.

* Only 15 percent of survey respondents said they would be willing to pay one dollar more for gasoline due to greenhouse gas legislation. The numbers dropped to 5, 3, and 4 percent if gas prices increased by two, three or four dollars a gallon.  

* Only 11 percent of survey respondents said they would be willing to pay one hundred dollars more a year for electricity in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The numbers dropped to 6, 4 and 1 percent when respondents were asked if they would be willing to pay an extra two hundred, three hundred, or six hundred dollars a year for electricity. 

* More than one out of every three African American adults surveyed said that greenhouse gas emissions should not be reduced if doing so would cause price increases and unemployment.   

06/24 12:49 PMShare