The charts above reflect information in a new Economist / YouGov Poll -- done between April 15th and 17th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults, with a margin of error of 3.1 points.
It shows that the American public has substantial majorities believing global climate change (commonly called global warming) is real and is caused by human activity (59%), are concerned about that change (63%), believe there is a consensus among scientists on it (57%), and believe it will effect them in their lifetimes (55%). Those are some fairly impressive numbers, and it has been that way for many months now.
That brings me to my question -- Why does the Republican Party officials continue to deny global warming is happening or is caused by human activity? One might think that, with the electoral wave building against them, they should want to be seen as being on the side of the public majority -- but they aren't, and show no sign of changing.
We can get a clue from the tax plan they passed a few months ago. While claiming they were passing a plan that would help all Americans, they actually approved a plan that gave about 82% of all benefits to the richest Americans. This is nothing new. The Republicans like to pay lip service to ordinary Americans (especially at election time), but when they act it is to reward the rich and the corporations at the expense of all other Americans.
The same is true on environmental issues (including global climate change). They claim to be protectors of the environment, but all of their actions have been to make the environment dirtier to protect and enhance the profits of corporations (and their rich investors). That's why Trump (with the blessing of congressional Republicans) pulled this country out of the Paris Accord, and why he chose anti-environmentalist Scott Pruitt to head the EPA (with the blessing of Senate Republicans).
The real constituency of the Republican Party's elected officials is the rich (and they corporations controlled by the rich). They have decided that everything must be done to enrich corporations and investors, even if that hurts other Americans, destroys the environment, and leaves our descendants with a much less inhabitable world.
It is just one reason, among many, why the Republicans must be voted out of power in November.